But the Fighter Still Remains
by RelativeWind
Summary: Lance is shaken to his core when an accident strands him on an uninhabited planetoid with an injured Allura. The Red Paladin soon discovers his own insecurities and self-doubt are just as threatening as the inhospitable landscape, and they only get worse when his best hope for help comes in the form of his supposed rival. A mix of comfort, angst, and humor.
1. Reason Coexists with Insanity

**1: Reason Coexists with Insanity**

 **CASTLE OF LIONS**

"I'm really not sure… Three days in that tiny ship, with Lance…" There was something about the way Allura said it that made me think the tiny ship was not the biggest issue.

"It'll be fun," I said. "It's only like eight vargas each way, the rest of the time you can do your diplomacy thing while I get to know the locals, if you know what I mean."

"We know exactly what you mean," Pidge said dryly. "It does make sense," she continued, "Coran, Hunk, and I need a few days to reconfigure the flexium channels and Shiro needs to, well..."

Pidge trailed off. She didn't need to say what Shiro was going to do, we all knew. The idea of interrogating a prisoner was not something any of us liked, but it was especially close to home for Shiro. In fact, that was exactly why he felt he should be the one to question Lotor. Not for revenge, but to prove that we were different. To show that Galra Prince that humans wouldn't stoop to his level.

"I'd prefer larger teams, but Pidge has a point," Shiro said. "And any intel we get from Lotor will take time to verify; just because he turned himself over doesn't mean we can trust him."

"Galra always have an evil plan," Hunk said to no one in particular.

"I agree. But if we can get the truth from him, it will be invaluable to the war effort. I need to stay here and make that happen." Shiro looked at Allura, then me. "I guess that means you're on your own for this one."

"And you're sure we cannot take our lions?" Allura asked. "At least we'd have some comfort and privacy."

"The flexium channels can only be balanced properly while the lions are in their bays and connected to the charging system," Coran explained.

Allura frowned. "I understand."

"Allura," I said. "I'd totally rather take Red or Blue, but it won't be that bad." I was actually wondering how well Blue remembered me. After all, your first lion is sorta like your first love; except Blue was more of mutual breakup that didn't end up with half my phone in the ocean.

"I suppose," the Princess said.

"I'll stay out of your way unless you need me. You go to your diplomacy meeting thing, and if you have some free time and want to have some fun my expert services are at your disposal."

Allura furrowed her brow. "Your services?"

I blushed. "I mean… there's a beach, right? I grew up on an island back home. I know everything there is to know about having fun at the beach. Games, swimming, or just chill-laxing."

The Princess gave me one of the little smiles she does. "I doubt I'll have much time 'chill-lax' but I'll keep it in mind. Right now I need to finish preparing. Can you have the shuttle ready to go in forty dobashes?"

"Sure thing."

With everything settled the team started to disperse. I looked at the front window for a minute, wondering if I'd remembered to pack everything I needed. I decided to double check, but as I turned to leave I felt Shiro's hand on my shoulder. His good hand. By good I mean human hand. I probably should specify that, because the other one is actually stronger.

I spun around to face him, irritated that he'd stopped me. Because, despite everything he said, he still didn't really trust me. I wasn't sure if he ever would. "I don't need one of your lectures right now, Shiro," I said. Maybe whined. Probably whined.

"No lecture. Just reminding you that long journeys with one other person can be tough. Trust me, I've done a few. You find ways to get on each other's nerves you never even thought about before. And since you and Allura—"

"We what, Shiro?" I demanded.

The former Black Paladin took things in stride. "I was eighteen too once. Not that long ago. And I learned a lot of hard lessons about love." It took a lot of willpower not to make a joke about the words love and hard right then. "One of them was that sometimes you have an interest in someone that goes deeper than their interest in you might."

"You're saying she's not into me?" I mentally kicked myself. Way to sound desperate Lance.

"Not the same way. At least, not right now. And you need to accept that she gets to make her own choices, on her own schedule."

"I'm not the kind of guy who keeps hitting on girls who aren't interested. Alright, I am, but…" I looked Shiro square in the eyes, "but not with her. She's too important." I sighed and looked at the floor.

The truth was Allura was special: it was more important for me to have Allura in my life than have her be anything specific in my life. Not that I didn't want something more, but… I felt my lip start to tremble; I'd had enough of the feelings discussion. "Besides, I'm probably going to be too busy to hang with her: Vostoth has the best beaches in the sector, and you know what that means." I flashed him a silly grin to emphasize my point.

"I shouldn't need to remind you," Coran said as he stepped between Shiro and me, "the Princess's well-being is of the utmost importance. It is a tremendous responsibility."

Did he think I didn't know that? "I know. She'll be fine." She is fine too.

"See that she is," Coran said firmly. "The future of the Universe depends on her."

I snorted and waved my finger in a circle. "Look, I don't need this three way to know you have doubts about me." I thought I saw Shiro's eyebrows raise just a bit.

"It's not that we don't trust you," Coran explained, "We just know you."

"Thanks."

"What he means," Shiro said, "Is that you sometimes get excited and distracted. Remember when you lost the Blue Lion?"

"Or that time you—"

"I got it," I interrupted Coran.

"We just want to make sure your mind is in the game," Shiro said. "There's a lot going on, and we're all under a lot of stress."

I knew he was trying to be helpful, but I wondered if Keith was here if he'd be getting the same kind of talk. "It was pretty go-go-go through the whole Naxzela campaign," I agreed. "And now the whole Lotor thing is a lot to take in."

"Yes it is," Shiro agreed.

"So, really, I think a quiet trip to a beach planet is just what I need right now. But I know why we're going and I'm not going to do anything stupid. Mock my words."

Shiro was silent for a second. "That's all I want to hear. Remember, we need to be able to launch a mission if we get actionable information from Lotor. Once the Castle is ready, we're going to really bring this fight to the Galra."

I smiled. "I'm not missing that party! We'll be here."

* * *

 **A/N:**

Every story needs a helping of Space Dad

So after a lot of work on a story that doesn't have a lot of room for humor, I decided I'd try my hand at something a bit different (don't worry, Cruel Path Home will be finished). Of course, I wanted to create something that had purpose and complexity beyond a bunch of punchlines. But still plenty of punchlines. I also wanted to keep in the character of the show, but just a bit more adult on occasion (eg. something appropriate to an 18 year old Paladin and his particle barrier).

Many of you can probably tell by the context, but this is set between S4 and S5.

Also, malapropisms, creative spellings, and other inarticulate writing is an intentional part to capture part of Lance's character. Unless, of course, it isn't…

Feedback is always sincerely appreciated. This story is a bit of an experiment for me, so please let me know if you have any thoughts, things you'd like explored, or some criticism. Thanks for reading!


	2. I Won't Forget the Good Times

**I Won't Forget the Good Times**

 **VOSTOTH PRIME  
**

The trip was long but uneventful. I got Allura to laugh a few times, but she also spent a lot of time working back in the passenger compartment. One of the things I admire about her is how hard she works and how serious she is about doing her best, but it also can be kind of irritating. I hoped she's have less work on the flight home.

It was after 'delcon lax' when we landed on Vostoth, which I figured out was kind of like their midnight. Even though it was late we got met by an honor guard of six troops which was pretty cool. There were also a couple politicians who wanted to talk to Allura and a few spaceport workers.

We were shown to rooms for the night, and the bed was super comfy. By the time I got up the next morning, Allura had already left for her meeting. It made sense; it's not like we had any plans or anything and I guess she needed to get an early start. Still, I'd kind of hoped we'd get breakfast by the beach and a little irritated I hadn't thought to mention it.

I knew the Princess was going to be in meetings most of the day, so I set out to have some fun. After all, I was on a paradise planet a million miles from the nearest Galra cruiser. That's not something that happens often. Lots of planets have beaches, but not ones where people hang out play games and stuff. Constant war kinda puts a damper on those things.

Every mission requires recon. On Nebotroos, we needed to determine where to shoot a heavily armored power plant. On Pensytax we had to learn the weaknesses of the defensive cannons. On Vostoth, I needed to figure out which beach had the hottest babes. According a dude I met at the landing platform, the beach town of Eravarod was where I wanted to be. The dude was right.

It's strange… a couple years earlier I never thought I'd be calling aliens hot. Mainly because I didn't know aliens could be hot. Or that there were aliens. I guess my tastes and women was kinda limited by what was in my solar system.

Now, the ladies have (understandably) always been drawn to the Lance, but being a Paladin of Voltron kinda upped my game. Between my natural charisma and all the people that saw me at Voltron events I hardly had to use any lines anymore. I guess when you're famous, courageous, super handsome, and humble everyone wants to be your friend. And I have no problem being the center of attention.

After some time on the beach I checked my communicator—no messages from Allura, and still over two vargas before I needed to get the shuttle pod ready. As much as I was enjoying the attention, I felt like exploring a little on my own and slipped away from the crowd.

Not far away I found a small cafe that sort of reminded me of one near my hometown. Open air, beat up wooden furniture (at least it looked like wood), and the smell of something greasy. I wasn't sure exactly what I ordered, even after I started eating it. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't garlic knots and pepperoni pizza.

After I finished I just sat there, taking everything in. The sound of crashing waves, the smell of salt air. The sky, the water. I'd remember to bring the little Garrison data pad that had been on me when this whole adventure started, and for a tick I thought about popping in my earphones and listening to some tunes. But I decided that at that moment the surf was the only music I needed to hear.

I closed my eyes and imagined that the Strait of Florida stretched out in front of me, and that the sun beating down on me was the one I grew up with. I thought of the way the afternoon rain would kind of bounce off the waves. It was the closest to home I'd felt in a long time. I could almost hear the sounds of my brothers playing in the water, my mom yelling to watch out for jellyfish, my older sister trying to get the rest of us in trouble. She was so whiney sometimes. I never thought I'd miss that so much.

I'm not sure if I was asleep or just zoned out, but I snapped out of my daze when someone yelled "Look it's him!"

I flashed a smile at the three young woman who were approaching. Daydream time was over; Lancey Lance was on duty. "Hi, I'm Lance."

"I'm, like, a huge fan," the shortest of the three said.

I put my elbows on the table and leaned forward, resting my chin on my fists as I stared back at her. "Certainly a beautiful one."

The short woman blushed, which was interesting to see because her skin was already red. "You're just like I thought you'd be."

I sat up. "I try not to disappoint."

"This is so cool!" her taller friend said. "Everyone back on Planthora is obsessed with Voltron, ever since you guys did that flyover. My friends will absolutely die when they hear I actually met 'Lover Boy Lance', my favorite Paladin."

"I'm _everyone's_ favorite," I replied, motioning for them to sit down.

"Actually," the third woman said, "I always wanted to meet Keith."

My smile went away. "Keith? Really?" Why would anyone _want_ to meet Keith? I mean it was bad enough to have to meet Keith. "Are we talking about the same person?" I held out my hand. "About yay tall, strange hair, really moody."

"He's so quiet, but so brave."

"Um, yeah… quiet..." Really quiet these days; I hadn't heard from him since we took Naxzela. I guess that was better than moping around the Castle and trying to make me look bad.

"It makes him mysterious..." More like annoying.

"Don't mind Lellony," the shortest one said, "She likes to be different." She reached across the small table to grab my hand with her delicate red fingers. "I'm Ambera, by the way."

And with that I was back. I grinned at her and took her hand in mine. "Oh, I was just going to call you Gorgeous."

"And I'm Naditha," her taller friend said.

"You were going to be Stunning."

It was Naditha's turn to blush.

"So, I have to know," Lellony said, "are the rumors true?"

I raised an eyebrow. "The rumors?"

"About Allura and Keith."

I snorted. That kind of snort where you spit out your drink if you are drinking something. "Allura… and Keith? Look, if Allura is going to get together with someone on the team it's not going to be Keith!" That came out a bit more defensive then I intended, so I suavely added, "If Allura is into anyone, it's me… But I'm just not ready for a monotonous relationship yet."

Lellony actually smiled a bit. "I meant that she's uncomfortable with him working for the Blade of Marmora."

"Oh…" I swallowed. "OHH!"

"Enough about Keith," Ambera bit out, giving her friend a nasty look before turning back to me. "What's it like to be a Paladin of Voltron?"

I smirked just a bit. "First of all, a lion isn't something you fly, it's a partner you work with. Especially with Red. It takes a special kind of finesse." I raised my eyebrows. "And I'm all about finesse."

Before anyone could ask a follow up question, I heard someone else form behind me. "Lance, you're incredible."

"Yes, I know," I said modestly before it clicked in my head that the new voice was Allura.

And suddenly I didn't think 'incredible' was meant as a compliment.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read. Expect some more of Lance and Allura next chapter, leading into the start of the action!

Special thanks to the Shastelly, L.E-Rae, Myherogal22, and LaraAelric for the reviews and support!

And just in case anyone is interested, I actually researched the time units for this story. I'm not sure if they've been formally defined in cannon, but here are some rough numbers that seem to work out!

Quintant—comparable to a day, about 28 earth hours  
Varga— comparable to an hour, about 80 earth minutes  
Dobosh— comparable to a minute, about 80 earth seconds  
Tick—a little more than second


	3. Cause Everything is Never as it Seems

**'Cause Everything is Never as it Seems**

 **SPACE**

"It is infuriating that you do not take your responsibilities more seriously," Allura announced bluntly as she stepped into the cockpit.

I blinked. She'd been in the back of the ship for the last half varga, and I wasn't sure if she wanted a conversation or was just getting that off her chest. "Look, Allura—"

"Lance," she said, drawing out my name in that way that normally sounds awesome but this time sounded like she was scolding me. "You wake up to great potential every day, but rarely stay focused long enough achieve it."

I pressed my lips together for a second as I thought about that. "That's not the meanest thing that someone's said about me." Which was true… but those mean people weren't Allura. Coming from her even the most gentle criticism just hurt more.

I knew part of the reason she was being tough on me was because, well, I deserved it. But part was that it was her way of trying to make me better. Plus, I hadn't told her about daydreaming about home, so she still thought I'd flaked on her to hang out with some girls. And even though that sucked, it was better than admitting I was so homesick I forgot what time it was… wasn't it?

I was a Paladin of Voltron, supposed to defend the innocent and free the—freedomless. But when something reminded me of Earth, I became the dumb little kid that cried at his first sleepover because he missed home. I needed to be tough and focused, not worrying about things I couldn't do anything about.

"I said I'm sorry!" I snapped, more because I was angry with myself than with her. " _You're_ the one always saying how important the razzle dazzle is for the war effort." I took a deep breath to calm down and gave her a small closed-lip smile. "I was just trying to, you know, warm up the locals."

Allura's eyes widened slightly. "Is that what you call it?"

"That's not what I—"I lowered my head. "Never mind. Doesn't matter. I'm sorry. But it's going to be fine."

The Princess shook her head. "If Voltron is needed before we return…"

"Yeah, I got that," I said, thoughts of Keith's misadventures with the Blade of Marmora popping into my head. It had gone bad, and the stuff he'd missed our missions for _was_ important. Not that I'd ever admitted that to him. But I wasn't going to let that happen. " _But_ we'll be back on time. Look at this." I pulled up a chart I had been working on. It had taken a little while to plan a route since everything was in Altean, but it looked right. "We just go through the nebula to make up time. Back before anyone needs us. Easy peasy."

"There is a reason we did not traverse the Necrosis Nebula on the way here," Allura said. "It is far too hazardous."

"I didn't say we were going to traverse it, just go through it."

Allura glared at me. "They mean the sa—" She stopped and shook her head.

""It'll be _fine_ ," I assured her. "Dude at the spaceport said so."

"The dude at the spaceport?" Allura scoffed. "And what credentials did he possess? Was he a freighter captain, or maybe a licensed Starguide?" she asked sarcastically.

I couldn't help but smirk. "He was right about which beach to go to."

"Which is what got us into this situation," Allura said.

"I know I screwed up," I said pleadingly. "I'm trying to fix it."

"The Flight Office on Vostoth had several warnings posted about the nebula."

"All those warnings are for big cargo ships with _normal_ pilots. This ship is small and maneuverable, and I'm _definitely_ not normal."

She looked out the front windscreen. "Truer words have rarely been spoken."

I looked over at Allura, and even though she was being really hard to read I was pretty sure that hadn't been meant as a compliment. "OK, I get that it's not your first choice—"

"It is one of the most dangerous regions of known space."

"And _I'm_ one of the most dangerous pilots of known space. You need to quit being such a pessimist," I told her.

Allura shook her head. "Travelling with you is like… traveling with a child."

"Is not!" I protested.

Allura shrugged. "I suppose a child wouldn't be distracted by every attractive woman they met."

"I'm not distracted now," I replied with a smile before I realized that she might not take that the way I wanted it to. In fact, I'm pretty sure she didn't because it was another five dobashes before she said anything else to me. Which wasn't the worst thing because getting through the outer layer of the Nebula took most of my concentration. Allura sat next to me, looking over the sensors and double checking my route.

"What's that?" Allura said, her finger pointed at main scanner display.

I clicked the blue dot she was indicating, but the information that popped up was in Altean. "What does it say?"

"That the sensors detect crystal energy."

I shook my head. "Like, a Balmera?"

"It's far too small to be a Balmera." She looked over to me, and that scowl that had been on her face for the last few vargas was finally gone. "It is only a short distance off our planned route. We should investigate."

Plotting an intercept course is easy. Plotting an intercept course that threads through the middle of a nebula that pretty much wants to kill you is a lot harder. Still they didn't call me the tailor for nothing. Within a few dobashes we were approaching the target.

"I would of thought we could see it by now," I said as I slowed the shuttle down.

"It appears to be Altean," Allura said as she studied the sensors, surprise in her voice. "The metal alloys are a match of Altean construction."

"I still can't see anything," I told her. The last Altean ship we'd stumbled on had been huge, and we could only see the half of it stuck in our reality. "Aren't crystal powered things normally big?"

"Not necessarily," Allura said. "Fragments of crystals can be used when a small spacecraft has very high power requirements. Like research probes fighters or a—" She cut off abruptly.

I looked over at her and saw her eyes had gotten much wider. "Turn around," the Princess said, sounding suddenly stressed. "Get us out of here… Now!"

* * *

AN: Thanks for your support. Views, faves, follows, and especially reviews are all greatly appreciated!


	4. Dust in the Wind

**Dust in the Wind**

I swung the pod around and jammed the throttle forward. As I did I heard an alarm blaring. "That's not a good sound, is it? Doesn't sound like a good sound!" I yelled over the alarm.

Allura hit a button and the ear-bleeding siren went to half volume. "It has a lock on us," she explained.

"What does?"

"An Altean torpedo-mine," Allura said. "It waits for a target like a mine, then tracks it like a torpedo." She keyed up something else on her panel. "At our current speed it will catch up to us in less than three dobashes."

It's never good when the thing chasing you is faster than you are. "Shouldn't it, like, know this is an Altean ship?"

"It's probably been floating here for ten thousand years. The computer may have degraded."

"Yeah… not enough apparently." I frowned. "What can you tell me about this thing?"

"It is powered by a fragment of a Balmeran crystal," Allura said, her voice sounding mostly calm but still a little off. "It is faster and more maneuverable than this vessel and will not cease its pursuit until it detonates or depletes its crystal."

"OK, how long 'till it's out of crystal juice?"

"Several deca-phebes."

I frowned. " _So_ not the answer I was looking for." I glanced over at Allura, then at the sensor map. I couldn't read everything on it, but the red thing moving towards the blue thing made it pretty clear what was going on.

I turned the pod sharply to the right, and saw that torpedo adjusted its path to match ours almost instantly. The thing was _fast._ "I'm really wishing I had Red right now."

"Or that booster Pidge developed."

"The one Keith blew up?" I shook my head. I didn't have time to bash on Keith. I pointed to a group of dust and rock to our right. "What if we skim one of those asteroids? Try to lose it in a trench or something?"

Allura hesitated for a tick, then input a command into the sensors. "The radiation around the asteroids is substantial. It might impede the torpedo's tracking, but it could affect our systems." She looked over at me. "Assuming we don't hit an asteroid first."

"Yeah," I replied, already turning the pod towards the one of the larger space rocks. "I'm going to head toward that canyon on the top of it."

The canyon was huge, I forced the pod into a steep dive so that the asteroid's gravity would help us accelerate.

"Are you sure you can pull out in time?" Allura asked with concern.

"Never been a problem," I assured her.

The bottom of the canyon was rocketing towards us, and I started to bring the pod up. We leveled out just above the rocks in a maneuver that would have made Shiro proud. I exhaled, and I think for the first time I realized just how nervous I'd been. I'd been trying so hard to look confident to Allura I'd pretty much fooled myself too.

"It's still following us," Allura reported. I felt my stomach contort in a way that had nothing to do with the crazy maneuver I'd just pulled off. My whole chest felt tense. If that hadn't been enough to fool it…

"I thought you said the radiation would interfere with it?"

"I said it _might_ ," Allura snapped at me. "The levels aren't high enough."

Even though I'd slept through most of my geology classes and Galaxy Garrison, I remembered a little bit about radiation. "The radioactive stuff's in the rocks, isn't it?"

"Yes," Allura confirmed. She glanced down. "Thirty ticks."

"What if we could kick up a cloud of the stuff, like get it between us and the torpedo?"

"It would increase the interference," Allura said. "But how—" She cut off in mid-sentence, and from the look on her face I could tell she realized what I was thinking.

"On Earth we have an expression: so dumb it just might work."

Allura said nothing, but I saw her nod out of the corner of my eye.

"Hold on."

I rolled the shuttle pod to the right and eased it closer to the surface of the asteroid. Even being as gentle as I could the impact felt terrible and sounded worse. The right engine scraped across jagged rocks, grinding them into a dust that trailed behind us. I tried to hold pod straight, but the controls were not designed for flying with one engine dragging along the ground.

There was a load groan followed by a lot of nasty looking sparks and flickering lights, and I heard at least two other alarms sound. My guess was something important had fallen off, but I didn't really have time to figure out what. I could tell by how the pod was flying the right engine was putting out less thrust. If I kept going the left engine would force us harder against the asteroid.

"That's going to need to be enough dust," I told Allura. I jammed the controls to the left and brought the pod around to face away from the asteroid. "Is it following us?"

Before Allura could answer, the pod rocked like it had been hit by a giant hammer. Metal groaned, electrical stuff sparked, and most of the lights went out. I could smell smoke and heard some kind of fire extinguisher go off in the back of the pod.

My ears were still ringing when I heard Allura say, "It worked!"

I shook my head, trying to clear the hazy feeling I had. "You mean it didn't hit us?"

"A torpedo mine would vaporize a pod," Allura said. "It must have impacted the surface of the asteroid."

For a second I was completely still, my mind trying to process what had just happened. Then my sweaty hands let go of the controls and I slumped down in my chair. I closed my eyes. I felt like a massive weight had been lifted off my chest.

Then I opened my eyes and looked across the few working display panels.

Well… it could be worse…

* * *

A/N: I did a little less proofing on this chapter than usual so apologies for any typos! As always, thank you for taking the time to read, and any and all feedback is sincerely appreciated!


	5. I Did My Best, It Wasn't Much

**I Did My Best, It Wasn't Much**

My mind felt all hazy, like I'd just been woken up out of a sound sleep. My head hurt too, a nasty throbbing pain that didn't want to go away. I reached up to feel the side of my head, forgetting that I had my helmet on. Still, the big dent I felt gave me a pretty good idea of why everything seemed so foggy.

I knew Allura had said the torpedo hadn't hit us, but it had still been a pretty big bang. So much had happened so fast that I didn't even remember hitting my head during the explosion.

My mind started to clear after a few more ticks, and I began realize what had just happened. Sure the ship seemed a little toasted, but Sharpshooter had just out-flown some kind of ultra-fast Altean super-torpedo. As bad as things were, I _had_ been pretty awesome. And we were alive.

I looked over at Allura, who was doing something on one of the few holo-screens that still had power. Memories of how I had literally just scrapped the side of our ship along and asteroid came back. "Did that just… did you _see_ that?"

"Unfortunately," Allura said, still focused on her panel.

"What do you mean unfortunately? That was, like, some of the best flying… ever!" I started to smile, but it hurt.

Allura finally looked over at me. "And it shouldn't have been necessary," she said stiffly.

I started to frown, but that hurt too. "We survived, didn't we?" That counted for something, didn't it? Sure if we'd left on time none of this would have happened, but it wasn't _entirely_ my fault. And I _had_ saved the day. I hesitated for a second, knowing I shouldn't say what I was thinking. But I did anyway, because that's how I am. Especially when my head hurts. "Plus it was _you_ that wanted to get all up close with that mine."

Allura's eyes got bigger. "The mines are only detectable when they are active," she told me. "I may not have known what it was at first, but _you_ put us in danger the moment your route got too close to it."

So it was sort of my fault. Those maneuvers had been amazing, but they didn't seem _as_ awesome amazing. "Touché."

"What is a two-she?" Allura asked, her accent making the word sound like something else. Sometimes I forget there are some Earth words she doesn't know.

I smiled as much as I could. "All you need to know is you have a very nice one."

"This is no time for your—" She cut off. "We need to focus."

I looked down at my flickering holo-screen. "We can fix it," I said confidently. I looked down at my working display. Even though I couldn't read it, I could tell by the colors and the flashing it was not good. The thrill of escaping the torpedo was wearing off the more I realized how bad things were. "We can fix it, right?"

"Both engines are offline and not responding. I'm trying to get the auxiliary generator to start."

"Life support?" I asked.

"We have enough energy packs for a few vargas. The generator should give us a two or three quintants."

I felt a little better. "That gives the team plenty of time to find us."

"We're in the middle of a nebula, Lance," Allura reminded me, sounding like one of my old teachers did when I missed something obvious. "With all the sensor interference in here it could take phoebs to locate us."

That didn't sound good, but we had Team Voltron on our side. "Pidge and Hunk will figure something out. They are like sensor sensei."

"If they think to try." She let out a little sigh. "After all, no sane person enters the Necrosis Nebula. They will probably assume we were intercepted by a Galra cruiser."

I made a little finger-gun with my left hand. "They know I could take on a cruiser."

"Would you have rammed our ship into that as well?"

"Hey!" Still no love for saving the day. Even if the day was my fault. "The pod's still in one piece. That's one better than when you got stranded with _Captain Mullet_."

"Keith did nothing wrong in that situation," the princess said firmly. A little too firmly. Protectively maybe? "And we were rescued because of the connection the Red Lion had with Keith."

"Meh." I shrugged. "Maybe Red will come for me."

"I would not count on it."

"Because it's much further?" I asked.

"Let's go with that." There was a strange noise from the back of the Pod and Allura looked at her panel. For the first time in a while the moodiness seemed to break. "The auxiliary generator finally started."

"Sweet." I reached up and grabbed my helmet: even by touch I could tell it wasn't its normal shape anymore. "I need to get this thing off, my head is killing me."

I groaned as I removed, then flipped it over in my hands. There was a big dent on the top left, and the part that had been over my left cheeked looked bent slightly.

"Are you alright?" Allura asked.

"I'll be fine," I told her. I reached up and felt my head: it was sore, but between the armor and my thick, lush hair, there wasn't any bleeding. A little swollen and still pretty painful, but it wasn't like this was the first time I'd hit my head. I rubbed it a bit, hoping that would help the pain go away, but it didn't seem to help. "Actually, is there anything for pain?"

"There is an emergency pack under the rear passenger seat."

I stood up and immediately felt dizzy. It wasn't _that_ bad: back home, my Grandfather let us have something from is special stash on holidays; now _that_ would make me dizzy. Still it was a surprise and I stumbled a bit, grabbing onto my chair to keep my balance.

Allura looked over. "Are you sure you're alright?"

I sighed. "Does it really matter?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Allura asked testily.

"Because nothing I do is good enough," I said, raising my voice just a bit. "I screw up, try to fix it, and just screw up again. And when I do something good, like keeping us alive, it still doesn't make up for all those mistakes. _So why does it matter how I'm doing?"_

Despite my tone I wasn't really angry at her, at least not because she was criticizing me. She _was_ right to blame me. And what she said kept reminding me of what I didn't want to think about, or maybe even admit to myself: no matter what I did now, I couldn't make up for my mistakes. Even if we got rescued in a varga, it was still all my fault. Allura's words didn't hurt because they critical of me, they hurt because they made me criticize myself.

Allura's expression softened. "Lance…"

I slumped against the chair, more because I felt defeated than because I was dizzy. "Don't you think I know how bad this is? I'm not a total idiot, no matter what Keith says."

The Princess reached out and put a hand on my shoulder. "Your efforts to avoid the mine _were_ impressive. I fear that I was so preoccupied about our circumstances I may have been a bit callous."

"I get that. And your right," I admitted. "I just… I needed something good to think about."

"Focusing on the good is an admirable trait," Allura said gently, "But we must not let ourselves be fooled by our own delusions."

"Sometimes," I said softly, my thoughts drifting back to the surf of Varadero, "Delusions are all I got."

A/N: Thank you for taking the time to read, as always reviews are sincerely appreciated!


	6. My Silence is My Self Defense

**My Silence is my Self Defense**

Repairing the pod was proving a lot tougher than we had hoped. Not that we expected it to be easy, but after flying Lions you kind of forget how delicate little ships can be. Most of the right engine was crushed or missing, and the dynotherms on the left engine were fried. We did manage to get a few maneuvering thrusters running, but they didn't have the power to take us anywhere. The automatic fuel controls were damaged, so I was trying to help Allura run a fuel line directly from one of the tanks to the generator.

That meant climbing into the tiny service compartment that was behind the passenger area. It was so small that I'd changed into my earth clothes and Allura was wearing a simple jumpsuit. Even without the armor we kept bumping into each other. Trying to thread the conduit between all the strange looking Altean gizmos wasn't easy either.

Allura saw I was having trouble. "Be careful, if you touch the—" The shower of sparks interrupted her.

"Quiznack…." I winced. "Sorry Allura."

The Princess looked over the smoking hose and for a tick I braced myself for her anger, but she just sighed quietly. "It's alright. We can use the one that went to the right engine. Just be more careful with that one."

I nodded. "I bet you wish Pidge or Hunk were stranded here instead of me."

"I'd rather _none_ of us be stranded here," she countered sharply. "Besides, I couldn't fit in here with Hunk," she added a bit more gently.

"Yeah, totally." I smiled, but it was a fake smile. "I just meant they're better at this stuff than me." Better at most stuff than me, really. Pidge wouldn't have fried one of our two fuel conduits. Shiro wouldn't have even gotten in this situation. Keith… well he'd probably bum everyone out.

Allura twisted around, her shoulder rubbing against mine in the tight space. "Everyone has their strengths."

"Yeah, I guess" I said totally unconvincingly.

She hesitated for a second, sensing my mood. "You are stronger than you realize, Lance."

"No," I said quietly, "I'm not."

Allura stepped out of the service compartment so she could turn around and look at me straight on. "I've seen greatness in every member of our team. The universe is a better place because of what we have achieved."

"What _the team_ has achieved." I took a deep breath. Ever since I first laid eyes on the Blue Lion I'd had my doubts about my role on the team. At first I didn't even realize it because it was hidden behind excitement. And then my ego wouldn't let me admit it to myself, let alone to someone else.

It was sort of funny, really. People saw my personality and assumed I was an open book like Hunk. But on some things, like important things, I'm kind of closed off. Like Shiro.

Or even Keith.

Just a little bit.

A _tiny tiny tiny_ bit.

"Just 'cause the team does something doesn't mean I did something… and even when it does… it can't erase my mistakes," I said quietly. "I messed up Allura. And I don't know how to make it right."

I pressed my lips together, not sure exactly what I wanted to say. It was no secret Allura had been a little underwhelmed when the new Paladin's first started, but over time Shiro, Pidge, Hunk, and even Keith managed to earn her respect. Had I earned it too, or was she just trying to keep my spirits up in a tough situation? Either she right through my act and knew exactly who I was, or she thought I was something I wasn't. As bad as the first possibility was, it didn't hurt nearly as much as the second.

Which is why I decided I owed her the truth. I _was_ responsible. I had to own my screw-ups. I'd wet my bed and now I had to lie in it. Or something like that.

"The reason we're in this mess is because I don't have enough strength. Because I…" I sighed. "I wasn't hanging out with those woman on Vostoth for more than a few dobashes before you showed up," I said. "I was thinking about home, OK? Dreaming about Earth, and my family, and…" I glanced at Allura, but I couldn't really read her expression. "I grew up on an island," I explained, "we had pizza place sorta like that cafe, and the ocean—the sand wasn't orange, but the waves sounded the same, and…" I felt tears forming in my eyes and I trailed off. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't of let it get to me, but it did. And now we're here. Because of me."

Allura reached over and put her hand on my shoulder, her big eyes looking sad but friendly. "I didn't realize how much Vostoth affected you," she said softly.

"It only affected me 'cause I let it. Because I'm _not_ strong like the others. They all have people back home they miss, they all have stuff to deal with. Shiro was tortured, the Galra still have Pidge's dad, Keith freakin' found out he was part Galra…" I looked down, not wanting to let her see that my eyes were getting wet. "And you… you lost everything, your people, your planet. But you don't just fall apart because something reminds you of Altea."

"Sometimes it is easier to move on when you know something is gone," Allura said. "Not knowing can be painful."

"I worry about them," I admitted. "Some days I don't even want to wake up because I know I'm going to think about them, and it hurts when I do. And I think about the way they must worry about me, and how much they could be hurting. I don't even know what the Garrison told them happened to me. Or if the Galra have found Earth. Or if some other horrible thing has happened."

"But there is still hope," Allura replied calmly, her voice as soothing as I'd ever heard it. "There is a future to look forward to, even if the path to get there hurts."

"That's what I kept telling myself; but the path sucks."

"We all face such doubts," she said. "That's why there are five Paladins. So that we can lift each other up when we need it most."

"Maybe, but… every day I know who I want to be, and not just that, who I need to be. And I just don't feel like I'm ready. I fell into this Allura. The whole thing was a big coincidence."

"I would disagree with that."

"Really? Of everyone in the universe, I'm the best one to be a Paladin?"

"The best person is not always the right person. Remember what you said to me on Naxzela?"

Of course I remembered, but there wasn't anything special about what I'd said. And she was the one that saved the day. "I just said what was true. I didn't _do_ anything."

"You did much more than you realize," she said, a small smile on her lips. "You helped me to believe in myself. Shiro is great leader, but he didn't do that. Pidge is brilliant, but she didn't do that. You gave _me_ the courage to try."

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A/N: A little bit more of an introspective chapter; hopefully you all enjoyed. Expect some more excitement and fun soon!

Views, follows, and faves are all appreciated, and my especially sincere thanks to those that take time to review!


	7. How Did It End Up Like This?

How Did It End Up Like This?

It took another three vargas to get the fuel system running the way Allura wanted. We spent another few dobashes trying to get the long range communications up and running, but we figured out pretty quickly that the antenna was missing. Hunk probably could have jury-rigged something, but I don't have that skill set.

We were in the passenger compartment inventorying our emergency supplies when an alarm sounded from the cockpit. It wasn't nearly as loud as the one when the mine had locked on, but with my head still throbbing it wasn't fun either.

As soon as I got up front I could see our trajectory was changing, but it wasn't until Allura pulled up the sensors that we figured out why.

"It's a gravitational field," she told me. "A large one."

"How big are we talking?" I asked, a little bit of hope starting to creep into my voice. I knew the chances of an inhabited planet were next to nothing, but there could be something useful out there.

"Substantially larger than any of the asteroids we've seen." She looked over at me. "Thrusters won't be sufficient to break free of its pull."

"Yeah," I said. I'd taken as little physics as Galaxy Garrison would allow, but you learn the basics when you fly space ships. If the engines were working a little gravity wouldn't matter, but thrusters were meant to turn the ship around—not actually move it. But that meant we had a pretty big problem. "So if the gravity keeps pulling us towards it… how do we keep from crashing into it?"

"If there is an atmosphere we can use the air brakes." Allura looked down at her panel. "There are no indications of a failure, but a visual inspection would be helpful.

I looked over to where my Paladin armor was stacked. "I'm on it."

Allura nodded and flipped a switch. "They should be extended below the aft hull," she told me.

A few dobashes later I was in space, grateful that my helmet was still air-tight despite the damage it had taken. I didn't want to waste my pack fuel, so I used handholds on the outside of the pod to crawl around until I could see the shuttle's belly. Sure enough there were two panels sticking out that looked similar to the ones Galaxy Garrison stuff used. I guess some tech is the same no matter who comes up with it.

I pulled myself closer and saw that one was discolored, slightly bent, and covered in some kind of clear fluid. Without tools or spare parts there wasn't a lot I could do. I pushed on it and it seemed alright, but if the pod started flying strange at least we'd know why. I turned around and started to drag myself back to the front of the ship.

I could see the object Allura had detected now, and it was pretty big, like a moon or a small planet. It looked like the entire surface was covered by thick clouds, which was good news. It meant there was an atmosphere, which meant the air brakes might actually work.

Allura was studying the sensors when I got back inside.

"It looks like the atmosphere is thin but breathable," Allura told me. "There is ionization in the clouds. Between that and the damage to the sensor array I cannot get detailed readings of the surface."

I asked the obvious question. "So how do we land with no sensors when we're stuck flying through clouds?"

"That's the strangest thing," Allura said. "There is a navigational beacon on the surface."

My mouth dropped open a bit. "Somebody is _down there_?"

"At least someone _was_ down there," she corrected. "It is possible they left the beacon behind."

"If they're there, I hope they're friendly."

I locked onto the signal, using the thrusters to nudge the pod toward what we though—hoped—would be a safe path to the surface. It took a while, the thrusters really don't do much.

We entered the atmosphere a few dobashes later, and the pod started to buffet. At first it seemed only a little worse than normal, but it kept getting more violent. I could hear metal bending and tearing apart as bits and pieces of the ship's damaged outer skin were ripped off.

"We're getting off course," Allura pointed out, her voice strange because of the shaking.

"I'm already at max thruster," I replied. "I don't know what else to do." We were deep in the cloud layer now, so the further off course we got, the more likely we'd hit a mountain or something.

A dobash later we dropped below the clouds and got a look at the ice-planet that was probably going to be our home for a little while. We were lined up with a snow covered plain, though we were getting uncomfortably close to the steep ridge on the right side of it.

I was trying to figure out some way to avoid the ridge when the pod abruptly swerved toward it. I knew it had to be one of the air brakes failing, but there was nothing I could do. The pod slammed into the ridge and bounced off it, and I heard a horrible tearing sound from behind us, way worse than when we'd hit the asteroid.

The windshield barrier flickered and then disappeared, and even with my armor on I gagged as the cold air rushed in. We skipped down the edge of the ridge, slowing down and changing direction every time we hit rock. We were probably loosing parts of the ship too.

After four or five impacts the ship stopped skipping and started rolling. A few ticks later it finally came to stop upside down at the bottom of the ridge. The violent landing had made my head feel worse again, and it took a few ticks before I could look around.

With the windshield barrier down, cold air, snow, and ice had entered the cockpit. I looked behind me and saw snow and ice there too. It took a tick, but I realized that the back half of the pod had broken off, leaving just a bit of the passenger compartment attached to the cockpit.

And then things got worse.

I realized Allura was missing.

* * *

AN: I hope you enjoyed! As always, your support is appreciated, especially reviews. Thanks for reading!


	8. Whatever It Takes

**Whatever It Takes**

I didn't care about the cold or the fact that half the ship was missing. All that mattered was making sure Allura was OK. With the pod upside down I had to crawl in the snow to get out of the cockpit. The heaters in my armor were starting to kick in, but I didn't really notice because my mind was racing.

I stood up outside the pod and spotted the pink highlights of her armor against the snow. She was only fifteen or twenty meters behind what was left of the ship, but I still felt like my heart was simultaneously going to freeze and explode as I looked at her motionless body.

I ran towards her, and to my immense relief I saw her arm move slightly. "Allura!"

"Lance," she said. Her voice was strong, but I could tell she was in pain. "Help me sit up."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked. I could tell her right leg was hurt by the way it was twisted, but I didn't know if anything else was wrong. Our first aid training said never to move someone unless you were sure there wasn't a serious internal injury. But I hadn't paid as much attention as I should of, and Allura wasn't human... And she could be pretty bossy.

"Help me," she said again, already pushing herself up. I wrapped my arm around her and gently lifted, letting her use me for support.

"Your leg," I said, nodding to where her knee looked twisted in a direction it shouldn't go.

"The pain is tolerable," she replied. I wasn't sure if that was true or just Allura not wanting me to worry too much. "However, I doubt I can walk on it."

That wasn't a problem. She could lean on me or I'd carry her. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"I'm… not sure," she answered. "I don't think so." She wiggled her fingers and her good leg twitched a bit. "Everything seems to be working."

"Still… we need to find someplace you can rest."

For a second she looked like she was going to argue with me, but then she just nodded. "What do you have in mind?"

That was a good question. The plain was flat with nothing to provide cover. There might be some caves or outcroppings on the ridge, but I didn't think I could climb the steep rocks while lifting Allura. "The pod is upside down. If I pack some snow around the edges of it that should at least keep out the wind. Your armor's heater should be enough to keep you warm then."

Allura agreed, and I gently carried her back to the ship. Despite the pain she must have been in she insisted on helping. I tried to talk her out of it, but I should of known it wouldn't work. Allura's like that; no matter what is going on she gives it her all. Even if it hurts or if it's super dangerous. She couldn't walk, but she could pack the snow into a wind-proof barrier while I pushed more up against the ship. When we were done it looked kind of like the pod had crashed upside down into a really crummy igloo, but it was better than nothing.

With our shelter in place, I turned my attention back to Allura. I convinced Allura to let me take a closer look, not that I was really sure what I was looking for. It was too cold for her to just take the armor off, so I carefully removed her leg panels and cut the fabric under it. I'm not normally all that sensitive to blood and stuff, but the way she winced when I touched the swollen purple flesh on her leg made me made me shiver in a way that had nothing to do with it being really, really cold. "I know I'm not very good at this," I said apologetically. That excuse was getting a lot use.

"It's ok," Allura said in her enchanting voice.

"No, it's not ok," I replied quietly, more to myself then to her. None of this was ok. It was all my fault. The accident, her broken leg, and whatever happened next.

Allura paused for a tick then looked at her exposed leg. "It looks worse than it feels."

"I hope so." I took a deep breath, coughing a bit as the cold air tickled my throat. "Look, I'm going to do whatever it takes to get us out of here. I don't know what that is yet, but…"

"But we'll figure it out together," Allura said. Despite the pain I knew she was in, she sounded just as calm and reassuring as always. "First, you need to find the rest of the pod."

My heart dropped in surprise, my eyes went wide. "You want me to _leave you here_? Alone?"

"The heaters in our armor will only last four or five vargas. If we can get some power cells from the ship, we should be able to run them for much longer."

I nodded. I knew she was right, but leaving her cold, injured, and alone seemed so wrong. I stood up a fastened my helmet in place, feeling it radiate warmth across my cheeks. She was right: if we didn't find some way to stay warm things would go downhill fast.

Outside the ship I pulled out an electroscope and tried to figure out where exactly the back half of the shuttle was. I couldn't see the pod itself, but the path we'd followed down the side of the ridge was pretty obvious. If I followed it long enough I'd find what I was looking for. Hopefully enough of it was left to make it worth the trip.

I started out towards the ridge. It looked way bigger from the ground then it had from the air. It was also steeper then I had realized and its jagged face was covered by snow and ice. It was not going to be fun climb, and it would be even tougher coming down with the heavy power cells and whatever else useful I could find.

I looked back at our spaceship-turned-igloo, thinking about the person in it.

 _Whatever it takes._

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed. As this is my first Voltron fic I do sincerely appreciate any feedback you have, either reviews or PMs with kudos or suggestions!**

 **Thanks for taking the time to read!**


	9. Lay Your Weary Head to Rest

**Lay Your Weary Head to Rest**

My head didn't seem to be hurting as much, but I wasn't sure if it was getting better or if my arms and legs were so sore it just seemed like it. Stuff from the pod was spread all over the ridge, and it had taken almost two vargas to find an intact power cell. I'd been hoping to find both of them, but I also had to make sure I got back to Allura before her armor was out of juice.

The power cell probably weighed half as much as Pidge, but after climbing all the way up it felt even heavier. It was never designed to be carried a long distance, so the handholds weren't really that good. It was one thing taking it in and out of a pod in a hangar bay, but trying to get it down a mountain was a pain. I tried using some cable to make a backpack like harness thing for it, but it kept throwing my balance off. So I was stuck carrying the thing. When I needed both hands to climb I'd lower it down ahead of me on the cable. It worked, but it was slow going.

By the time I got back to the pod was beat, but happy to be out of the wind. Even with the armor on I could feel it pushing against me, and it just felt cold even though it wasn't actually getting through my suit. I dragged the power cell to the center of our shelter and Allura immediately started to pull panels off of it.

"It is fully operational," Allura said.

"Sweetness." I did not want to go climb that ridge again right away. "How much power is left in it?"

"About six percent."

I blinked. "That—uh—I thought you said fully operational?"

Allura nodded. "It is, just nearly depleted."

My mouth hung open for a second. "You mean I just spent three vargas lugging a giant dead battery around?"

"An energy pack this size can run the entire pod for several vargas. Six percent should power our armor for at least a quintent."

"Great," I said sarcastically, "So we don't freeze until tomorrow."

"That gives us time to find a solution," Allura said reassuringly.

"Yeah, I know but… even if the other power pack is still intact, I might not be able to get to it. What's left of the ship is a mess. And even if I can find it, if it's only got a quintant of power, it won't do us much good."

"Each quintant improves our chances," she pointed out.

"I know that. I'm just saying…" I trailed off. Inspiration rarely hit me, but when it did, I got excited. "That beacon! It's got a working power supply of some sort, and I should be able to track it down with the sensors in my armor."

"But you would need to disable it."

"Probably, yeah," I said, not sure why she saw that as a problem.

"Whoever put it here may interpret that as a hostile action."

I shrugged. "I'm willing to take my chances. Besides, if anyone was here they would of seen our crash and found us by now. We can't risk everything hoping to make nice with some people that may never come back."

"Your right," Allura said, though she didn't sound happy. "I just dislike taking without asking, even if the reason is just."

"I get you. And if we had another solution I'd be onboard. But I don't see a better option."

Allura sighed quietly. "I do not either." She pulled a thin cable out of the power cell and held it out. "Come over here."

"You should charge up first," I told her.

The Princess shook her head. "You've been out in the elements. Your heaters have had to work harder than mine. Alteans also have a higher tolerance for cold than humans."

That last bit sounded sketchy to me; she hadn't brought it up before. But I couldn't argue with the first part, so I let her insert the cable into a panel on my right leg. I was used to everything recharging automatically, either from the castle or Red, so the idea of plugging in my armor was kind of strange. "How long does this take?"

"I'm not certain. I doubt more than a varga, but the armor was never intended to charge from a pod power cell."

"OK, well, I'll head back out as soon as it's done."

"Your armor will take a varga to recharge. _You_ will take longer."

"I'll be fine."

"I can see how fatigued you are."

"Yeah, but—"

"It is unsafe to traverse this terrain without rest," she cut in. "If you fall, there is nothing I can do to help in my current condition."

I took a deep breath. We needed whatever was powering the beacon, and the longer we waited the less time I'd have to find it and bring it back. But Allura was right: between being tired and feeling super sore I wasn't in great shape, and if I got stuck out there we'd both be screwed. "OK… I'll try to get some sleep." I wasn't sure if I could with so much on my mind. "Wake me up in four vargas."

"Five," Allura countered. "No less."

"Four," I said.

"Five."

Four and a half?" I suggested.

"Five."

I took another deep breath. There was no point in fighting this. "Five."

A little over five Vargas later I was heading towards the beacon. Fortunately it was located on the plain, so even though it was a long walk it didn't involve any climbing. Not only did my still-sore body appreciate that, but it meant that if the power source was too big to carry I'd be able to drag it across the snow.

I was starting to think there was no real day or night on the planetoid, but there definitely was weather. The clouds never seemed to go away, but my suit noted some variations in temperature. It never got warm, more like less cold.

I also saw snow for the first time in what felt like forever. It stuck to the cold outer layer of my armor, and soon I was covered in a thin layer of it. I took my helmet off so I could feel the wet flakes on my skin. It was cold, but I had to take advantage of the experience. Growing up in Cuba and then training in a desert I could count on one hand how often I'd seen snow falling.

I put my helmet back on within a few dobashes. I wasn't about to get caught up in the past, not again. What mattered was finding a power source.

Three vargas later, I succeeded.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! As always, follows, faves, and especially reviews are sincerely appreciated. As mentioned in a recent review, all the chapter titles are song lyrics (Some are recent, some are anything but recent!). I try to make sure they have something to do with the chapter.

And speaking of chapters, I think the next one is shaping up to be the most exciting so far. ;)


	10. When Everything's Made to be Broken

**When Everything's Made to be Broken**

When I saw the beacon I immediately felt sick. The entire device glowed with the purple signature of Galra technology. I'd heard of some pirates and other groups using Galra tech they had stolen, but it was much more likely whoever had put it on the planetoid was some kind of scout for the Empire. I started wondering why the Galra would seek out this little ice-ball in the middle of nowhere. Maybe we'd get the answer from Lotor when we got back. What mattered was getting the beacon off-line so the Galra couldn't use it, then working with Allura to get it to power our stuff.

I pulled of the external panels and threw them aside, trying to figure out what the different parts were. Pidge or Hunk could've figured it out in a few ticks, but it took me half a varga to trace all the cables and controls. To be honest, I still wasn't sure, but my best guess was all I had to go on. I pulled six big cables that ran from what I thought was the power cell to a central computer thing, and the unit powered down.

I took a deep breath. No sparks, no fires, no explosions. None of the stuff that normally meant something got messed up. But just turning it off was one thing; actually getting the power cell out was going to take a lot longer. Whoever put the beacon together built it like a tank, probably so it couldn't be damaged by nasty weather. But when it comes to breaking things, the weather has nothing on me.

I was still removing connections when a proximity sensor in my suit went off. I looked up and saw a dot moving just below the clouds, seeming to wander back and forth like it was searching for something. My heart dropped when I realized what it had to be: the Galra were back. Without the beacon to guide it, the ship was in some kind of search pattern to find wherever it wanted to land. With half our pod spread across the ridge it wouldn't be long until they spotted evidence they had company.

I activated my bayard and brought my rifle up, using the scope to zoom in on the closing ship. It was a standard Galra fighter. I'd taken down a lot of those, but with my rifle it would be tricky. Even though the ship was moving, it seemed to be sticking to a steady pattern. I lined up on where I thought one of the engine intakes would be, held my breath, and fired.

The shot went straight into the engine and it immediately started spewing smoke. I fired twice more, but the damaged ship wasn't sticking to a pattern anymore and both blasts hit armored areas. After another few ticks the ship leveled out, something not easy to pull off with that kind of damage. Whoever was flying it was pretty good.

Which wasn't good news for me. The ship turned toward me and opened fire. I dove behind the beacon, not that it would have done much good. Fortunately the fighter wasn't stable enough to really aim, and all of the shots went wide. Still, I wasn't about to wait around until this guy got lucky.

I crawled out from behind the beacon and lined up my rifle on the other intake. The fighter was way closer now, so even with it jerking around a bit I felt pretty confident in the shot.

I pulled the trigger and moments later fire erupted out of the ship. Without power, the fighter started to fall. The pilot kept it level as it hit the surface, skidding across the snow and finally coming to a stop closer to me than I would have liked. I waited with my rifle still leveled at the ship.

After a full dobash I thought I saw some movement, but it was fast, like a flickering shadow. I couldn't even get my gunsight on it before it disappeared. I was already having a bad day, Galra reinforcements were not on the list of things that would make it better. I couldn't let whoever was on that ship call for help, so I started towards the wreck.

I stopped twenty meters from the ship and dropped to one knee, trying to figure out where whatever I had seen had gone. I pulled up my armor's thermal sensors but they showed nothing. Whoever this was, they knew how to hide.

I wasn't sure if they were trying to avoid me or setting a trap, but my money was on trap. The whole victory or death thing meant they don't really like running. It didn't really matter; I just had to go for it. There was no one to cover me, no one to watch my back.

I circled around the ship, rifle in hand, but I didn't even see any footprints. Either Galra-dude was back inside his ship, or he wanted me to think he was. There was only one way to find out.

I stepped up the ship, slipping slightly on the curved, snow covered hull. Before I could regain my balance they were on me, grabbing my legs from behind and pulling me off the ship. I was slammed into the ground face down. I kicked at my attacker as I fell, but the contact was weak and didn't seem to slow them down.

Whoever I was fighting put their weight on my back. I twisted to my right. My attacker shifted and kept me from flipping over, but I could feel their grip loosening. I braced myself for their next move, but it never came. As quickly as the fight began, it ended. I could hear boots in the snow as they stood up next to me.

I flipped onto my back and found myself staring into the mask of a member of the Blade of Marmora. Their blade was lowered slightly but still ready for action. A tick later it dissolved to reveal the last person I expected.

"Keith?"

"Lance?"

"Keith?" I repeated, still stunned. I let go of my bayard and it reverted to its normal form as it fell into the snow.

I noticed Keith waited several more ticks before he sheathed his blade.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"We had problems coming back from Vostoth," I explained, leaving out some unimportant details for later. "The Pod was damaged, and we made a crash landing here. What are _you_ doing here?" I pushed myself up into a seated position and smiled. "Did you miss me?"

"Unfortunately." It only took a tick for me to realize what he meant. Keiths kind of a dick sometimes. Frequently.

But I was used to it. "Not everyone can be a sharpshooter."

"Yeah," Keith said, looking towards his smoking ship. He made a mock thumbs-up. "Great job."

I brushed some snow off my faceplate and turned my head so I could clearly see the broken Galra fighter. I then turned back to lock eyes with Keith. "I know what you're trying to say, but that is _not_ my fault."

AN: Needless to say, the two good buddies have some things to discuss in the next chapter! Thank you for the support, and please let me know if you enjoyed!


	11. Don't Blame It On Me

Don't Blame It On Me

"Not your-You shot me down!" Keith said angrily as I got back on my feet.

I shook my index finger in his face. "N-n-n-n-n-nope, you are not pinning this on me. You were flying a freakin' Galra fighter… What was I supposed to do!?"

"Maybe try to figure out what's going on before you start blowing things up!"

Was hot-head Keith really trying to call me impulsive? "Are you serious right now?" I asked.

"Do I look serious," Keith said firmly.

"You're like the most shoot first ask questions later guy I know!" I yelled. "It's like my grandma says: 'People who live in glass houses should change in the basement.'"

"Don't you mean shouldn't throw stones?" Keith asked in a sarcastic tone.

"No! Well, yeah, probably that too." That actually might have been what she said. I like mine better.  
"Doesn't matter, point is this… is not… on me."

"In what conceivable way is this not your fault?" Keith asked.

"I had no way of knowing it was you. I if you'd left a note, or-"

"Why would I leave a note?" he interrupted. "I thought the planetoid was deserted."

"So you admit that it was your mistake!"

"I didn't even know it was you until I had you pinned on the ground! Your armor was covered in so much snow you're lucky I recognized it before I killed you."

"Yeah," I grumbled. "You're lucky I hadn't made _my_ move."

Keith raised his left eyebrow slightly. "Sure."

"Whatever. But even if you did, then when you went to find Allura you'd be all like: 'Well, I'm here now, and oh by the way I KILLED LANCE!'"

Keith looked confused for a tick. "Are you saying Allura is _here_?"

"Of course, she went with me to—" my eyes narrowed—"but you wouldn't know that 'cause your never around."

"I have important things to do," Keith said angrily.

"Look," I said, trying to drop as much of my attitude as I could. It wasn't easy. "I'm used to you dropping in on us whenever." I looked around at the smoking ship and frozen tundra and shrugged. "Of course, this time is a little different."

"This isn't a joke," Keith snapped. "You've put my entire mission in jeopardy."

" _I_ just shot down a Galra ship that I thought was out to get me," I said, not really hiding that I was pissed all that well. It isn't like I _wanted_ to shoot him down. That ship would have been useful. "You put the mission in jeopardy. If you'd told us where you were going-"

"That's not how the Blade operates," he interrupted. "Our missions are secret. Even amongst ourselves." He looked down, and I saw him drop his shoulders a bit. For the first time he didn't look like he was in a fighting stance. "It's complicated. The Blade of Marmora has been fighting the Galra Empire for millennia. They have their way of doing things, and they don't like to deviate. It's all about being objective, putting the mission above your feelings. Above people. That's a big part of what Kolivan has taught me. Not letting my judgement get influenced by my emotions."

My mouth dropped open. That sounded really cold. "Hold up-Are you saying you care more about your mission then helping us?"

For just a tick Keith actually looked a little hurt by that. "Of course not. My mission is important, but if we are going to defeat the Galra and rebuild, the universe needs Allura's leadership." He shrugged. "And you're not completely useless," he admitted.

I put my hand on his shoulder. "I feel the same way about you," I replied with a cheesy grin.

Keith frowned slightly and waited for me to remove my hand before he continued. "Kolivan won't be happy, but he'll understand." Something changed slightly in Keith's expression, a look in his eyes that almost reminded me of Shiro. "Just surviving is not good enough anymore. The Blade of Marmora must put an end to the Galra Empire once and for all, and that requires Voltron." Every once in a while Keith says something that actually makes me kind of respect him. Not often enough though.

"Maybe once we get back we can help with your mission," I suggested. "Of course, that would mean telling us what you're doing…"

Keith sighed. "Six quintents ago the Blade intercepted an encrypted Galra intelligence report. They had been going through old records and discovered evidence of a missing Altean cruiser that may have been stranded in the Necrosis Nebula millennia ago."

"A cruiser," I repeated.

"Armed with the most advanced weapons of the time. Not only could the Galra potentially use the weapons, but the technology on board might help them develop countermeasures to the Castle itself. My job was to find it first and make sure nothing valuable fell into Galra hands."

Of course, Keith _was_ Galra hands, but I knew what he meant. "I think we found something from the ship you're looking for."

"What sort of thing?"

"A mine. It's what damaged our ship. That and hitting the asteroid."

Keith's mouth dropped open for a second. "You hit a mine _and_ an asteroid?"

I knew that look. It was his I can't believe how much Lance screwed up look. "I never _hit_ a mine," I said. "I actually avoided the mine. By hitting the asteroid. Look, it was way more impressive than it sounds."

"You intentionally hit an asteroid?" Keith said in the same tone.

"It was the only way too-" I took a deep breath. I'd done about the best that could be done in that situation, but I shouldn't have been it to begin with. "Alright, some mistakes were made," I admitted, not wanting to go into any more detail. I'd already had that conversation with Allura, there was no way I was having it with Mullet. "But we're here now. If you focus too much on your last mistake, you won't have time to make the next one."

"Where was this mine?"

"Yeah, I was a little too concerned about, ya know, not getting blown up to pay much attention to the coordinates."

"If we can figure out where it was," Keith said, "I can narrow my search area."

"Your search area?" I echoed in frustration. I guess that little Shiro look before was a fake. "Shouldn't we be focused on, you know, surviving?"

"We might be able to do both," he replied quietly while staring at the remains of his fighter.

"I get it's important," I said, trying to be as patient as I could. Despite what he said, he was still focusing on the mission. After chasing Zarkon under Keith's command we'd all tried to convince him that sometimes you got to think about the team and other stuff. I guess it's true what they say: you can lead a horse to water but you can't get him drunk. "We can't risk it," I continued. "Not with Allura's life at stake."

"We might _need_ to do both," Keith said like it explained everything.

"You're not listening to me. We need to focus on staying alive until the Blade comes looking for you."

"The Blade doesn't operate like Voltron," Keith said in an annoying tone. To be fair he has a _lot_ of annoying tones. "A scheduled check-in could be intercepted. Eventually Kolivan will assume something happened, but not for some time."

That wasn't good, but it wasn't terrible. Keith had to have supplies with him, and if rationed them enough… "At least someone knows you're here—no one at the Castle knows to even look in the nebula."

"They know," he said stiffly. "That doesn't mean they'll come."

My whole body went cold. "W-w-what? But you said-"

"I said Kolivan would understand if I deviated from my mission to help Allura. But he doesn't know she's here, and all members of the Blade of Marmora are expendable."

My heart sank a little. It's no secret Keith is super irritating and kind of a grade-a-jerk, but he's also a member of the team. Even if he was on sort of on a working vacation or whatever. The idea that someone would expect so much of him, earn his trust, and then willingly sacrifice him really did not sit well with.

"Not to me."

* * *

A/N: This was fun to write. Hopefully it was fun to read. While in previous chapters there has been a lot of introspection, I feel like when Keith shows up he tends to bring out the juvenile side of Lance, but as we know there is some respect there too!

Special thanks to L.E-Rae, Myherogal22, LaraAelric , Shastelly, Paladianofvoltron, Star, riverofdaydreams, Yeet, LBthebookworm, DissectionKit, 011100101011, and HalcyonDays for the reviews!

Thanks for your support, and I always appreciate faves, follows, and especially reviews!


	12. Disturb the Sound of Silence

Disturb the Sound of Silence

Keith seemed a little surprised at what I had said. Honestly, I was kind of surprised I'd said it out loud. He pressed his lips together in a strange, uncomfortable expression. He looked at me for a tick or two. "Are you saying you care about me?" he asked, sounding almost confused.

"No!" I insisted quickly. "No. I just mean, well..." I think I was as uncomfortable as him at this point. I exhaled slowly. "What I'm saying is you've earned you earned your place on the team. And everyone on the team matters to me. None of us is expendable. And just 'cause you're a total doofus sometimes doesn't mean I can't respect you."

"Doofus? What are we, twelve?"

My eyes narrowed. "Just 'cause I respect you doesn't mean I won't hurt you." It was a joke. Mostly.

"How far away is your pod?" Keith asked, brushing aside my comment.

"The hike took three and a half vargas," I told him.

Keith nodded. "Go back to the pod and get Allura, the navicomputer, and any supplies you can carry."

For a second I thought about pointing out he wasn't the Black Paladin anymore; he couldn't just show up and start giving me orders. But I realized there was something more important for him to understand. "Um, Keith… Allura was hurt in the crash."

Keith frowned. "And you left her alone?"

My face felt warm. No one was going to accuse me of not looking after her. "It's not like I wanted to! But what's left of the pod wasn't going to keep us alive for long. I didn't have a choice."

Keith looked down. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like—I was just surprised."

"If it was up to me I'd never leave her alone."

He looked back at me and frowned slightly. "You say that about all the ladies."

Really? He was going to go _there_. "Dude, you know what I mean!"

For a microtick his lip twitched, almost like he was going to smile but never actually got there. "I know. You might do something stupid, but you'd do it for her."

"Exactly… w-wait, what?"

"How bad is she?"

"She says she's OK. But her leg is pretty messed up. There's no way she could walk this far."

"We don't have a choice then. We'll carry the power supply and few quintants of supplies back to your pod. Eventually we'll need to figure our way to get her back here."

"Why?" I asked.

"Unlike your pod, my fighter might actually fly again. Between the spares I have and what is left from your pod I think we could jury-rig new inlets."

I looked over at the crashed Galra fighter. Even if we could takeoff, the thing wouldn't hold together for long. "Uh, Keith, I hate to be a downer, but that thing isn't getting back to the Castle."

"There may be internal damage," Keith admitted. "The engines will probably fail before we get out of the Nebula. But it might get us far enough to find the cruiser.

Suddenly I understood. "And if we get to the cruiser, Allura might be able to power it up… and then we fly out of here in style." I gave him a half smile. "Not bad."

"It's not perfect," Keith admitted. "We don't know the condition of the cruiser, though I think we'll be better off aboard it than down here. The bigger problem is I've spent the last three quintants searching. That's why the location of the mine is so important."

"If we can connect your beacon's power supply to the navigation computer, we should be able to get that data," I said. I took a deep breath. "Which is, ya know, also assuming the ship was anywhere near the mine."

Keith shrugged. "I can't think of any reason for them to randomly mine the nebula they got stuck in. And if it was launched for defense, it shouldn't have ended up too far from the cruiser."

I had to give Keith some credit on the logic, but I still had one big question. "If the mine was near the cruiser… shouldn't we have detected it too?" After all, the ship—and its crystal-would be way bigger than the mine.

"You've seen what Altean technology can do, and this ship was advanced by their standards. Part of the reason the Galra are interested is the stealth technology they think it has."

I shuddered. If the ship really had that kind of tech, and the Galra got their claws on it, they might be able to sneak right up to the Castle and attack before we could even launch the Lions. Maybe Keith wanting to complete his mission so bad wasn't totally crazy.

I spent the next half varga disconnecting the power cell while Keith organized his supplies and made a make-shift sled out of a cargo container lid. It actually worked pretty well: with the two of us pulling we could move the heavy power cell without much trouble.

It was a long walk back to the Pod, and spending that much time alone with Keith was kind of weird. He's pretty quiet, which is normally a good thing since most of the time no one wants to hear what he has to say. But after a full varga of listening to nothing but the wind and our footsteps I started thinking some conversation would be nice.

Silence has a way of letting my thoughts wander. I couldn't help but wonder about Allura. She had seemed OK. She had said she was OK. But was she really OK? Would we get back and find her in pain, or passed out, or…

I looked over at Keith. He had his Blade mask covering his face, but it probably didn't make a difference. That dude has the most blank, hard to read expressions ever. I wondered how upset he was with me. I had shot him down and ruined his mission and stuff, but he should have been over that by then… right?

And then there was Keith's plan. The more I thought about it, the more things I realized that could go wrong.

In my free time I normally hang with Hunk and Pidge, who are definitely not quiet. Allura and Shiro are almost always up for a conversation. And Corran talks even if no one is listening… or there. The point is the silence was starting to drive me crazy.

"Keith?"

"What?"

"So, you've been doing a lot of missions with the Blade, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Any interesting stories?"

"No."

"Really?"

Keith turned to me, and I tried to imagine what he was doing under that weird mask. "Not that I can talk about." He looked ahead again.

So he wasn't about to spill any interesting details. But I wasn't ready to give up yet. Maybe something more mundane. "Is that mask comfortable? It _looks_ comfortable."

Keith sighed. I think he realized I wasn't stopping. "If you're going to force a conversation, at least make it about something important."

"OK… so, the Cruiser. It got stuck, right?"

Keith nodded.

"So if Alteans couldn't get in unstuck… how do we?"

"We hope the cruiser has drifted out of whatever phenomenon stranded it, or that the phenomenon has weakened over the last ten thousand years."

Ten thousand years _was_ a long time. Still, I was hoping for a plan B. "And if it hasn't?"

"We hope our friends find us before the Galra Empire does."

* * *

A/N: As always, thanks for taking the time to read. Please let me know what you think!


	13. Even Heroes have the Right to Bleed

Even Heroes have the Right to Bleed

Keith always finds a way to bum everyone out. I should have thought about that before I tried having a conversation with him. Who knows, maybe it was intentional: he doesn't like talking, and sad people don't talk as much, so if you make people sad... But whatever the reason, once the silence resumed all I could really think about was how sketchy this plan was sounding. We had to get his fighter flying, we had to find the cruiser, and then we needed to get the cruiser out of the nebula.

Plus, I couldn't help but shake a feeling that I didn't want Keith to save the day. I felt bad for thinking it, and I totally would never act on it, but there was a little part of me—a big little part-that wanted to be the hero. It was the only way I could really redeem myself. If Keith came in and fixed my mistakes it just proved exactly what I was.

"There it is," I said, pointing to the outline of our pod-igloo. I could barely see it through the drifting snow.

"That doesn't look like a pod," Keith said, sounding a little confused.

"Because it's half a pod."

Keith stopped walking and grabbed some kind of Blade monocular thing from his pocket. "You're serious."

"Yeah."

"How'd you land half a pod?"

I smirked. "With awesome skills."

Keith continued to stare at the remains of the pod. "And I thought you were rough on the ship you were shooting at."

"Oh ha ha," I said sarcastically. "Like you could've done better."

Blade boy shrugged. "I couldn't have done worse. Where's the other half?"

Telling him the pod had broken in half made it sound like there were two pieces. I didn't really want admit how many there actually were, but it wasn't like I could hide it. "Spread across that ridge."

"Nice job. Anything salvageable?"

"I've been through some of it," I told him, "but I was looking for power sources, not engine parts."

"We'll need to search the wreckage again once I determine what I need."

I this and I that. There he was trying to be all in charge again. I had no problem following him when he was the Black Paladin, _but_ _he left_. He wasn't just automatically leader again. Especially with Allura around: if anyone was in charge _she_ was. I knew Keith had some good ideas, and I'd work with him, but he didn't get to give orders. He seemed to forget that even Shiro wouldn't just tell Allura what to do.

I opened my mouth to try and explain that to him, but stopped when I felt a strange, sharp rock rubbing against my left foot. I knew something was wrong—there was no way for a rock to get into my boot—but before I could look down I felt a fiery pain like none I'd experienced before. It was as bad as being shot by a Galra blaster, but different. Maybe worse. I couldn't help but scream, loudly. The pain was incredible, making me feel lightheaded and like I was going to puke.

Keith grabbed me. "Deep breaths, take your weight off the foot."

I did what he suggested, but it didn't hurt any less. The pain was coming from the middle of my foot, and it was so bad I couldn't feel or move my toes. I looked down, expecting to see half my foot missing, but there was just a drop or two of blood on the outside of my boot.

"It's a Zior bite," Keith told me. He had deactivated his mask and was looking down at my foot. "An ice worm. You must have stepped on one."

"It's like... being… shot," I said between deep breaths. I wasn't crying, but my eyes did feel wet.

"The venom is excruciating for several vargas, but it probably won't kill you."

"Probably?!"

"It's not fatal to Galra."

I glared at him. "And how does that help _me_?"

Keith nodded toward the sled. "Why don't you sit down?"

I hesitated for a tick; my foot felt like it might fall off if I moved too much. But then I let Keith help me onto one of the boxes he had brought with us. The pain kept getting worse. For the first time I could look at the bite. It was tiny, like a dentist had drilled through my boot and into my foot. Then filled the hole with lava. My sock felt wet, and blood was dripping out slowly.

"It looks and feel worse than it is," Keith assured me. He held out a hand, like he was trying to decide if he wanted to put it on my shoulder or my back… and he ultimately just put it down again. "It shouldn't do any long term damage."

"How would you know that?" I demanded. Hadn't he just said it didn't kill Galra? In case he hadn't notice, I'm not Galra.

"Galra and humans should react in about the same way. Their physiology is more similar to hum than you would think." He paused for a tick. "My parents couldn't have had me if the differences were substantial."

This was great. I'd just been stabbed by an alien space worm, I felt like my foot was on fire, and now Keith was trying to make me feel better by telling me about how his parents… did it. On the other hand Keith almost never talks about his parents, so I guess the fact he brought them up meant he was trying hard to be supportive. He just stunk at it.

"We should get to the pod," Keith said. "You need to get the boot off in case of swelling, and it's too cold to do that right here."

"I'm not sure how far I can walk." Part of my foot felt like it was burning from the inside. Part of it was completely numb. Just balancing on it would be tough.

"Just stay there," Keith said. He grabbed both cables and started pulling the cargo door across the snow with me on it.

I'd wanted to figure out a great plan that would save the Princess and make up for all the mistakes I'd made. I wanted to be the hero for once. Instead I was laying on a cargo lid while Keith hauled me around.

AN: Of course nothing can go smoothly! Trying to describe epic pain in Lance's voice was an interesting experience. It is based on personal experience with a certain earth-based creature; I wouldn't put Lance through anything I hadn't done myself. ;) Not that I've ever been in a robot lion…

As always, thanks for reading, faving, following, and especially reviewing!


	14. Guess Who Just Got Back Today

Guess Who Just Got Back Today

So here's the thing: I don't think the Zior bite was quite as bad as being shot, but at least when that happened I passed out. With this I was stuck having to deal. I could feel it throb with every heartbeat, like my blood vessels were being torn open or something, and it didn't seem to be getting any better. I thought about asking Keith to knock me out, but that didn't seem like a great idea. Neither did cutting off my foot, though I was pretty sure that wouldn't hurt any more than what I was already going through.

The good news was that, after the initial shock wore of, I didn't feel like I was going to puke anymore. I wouldn't say I was getting used to the pain, but I could at least think sort of clearly. Not that I had a whole lot of good stuff to think about.

When we'd covered about half the remaining distance to the pod, Keith stopped and turned around. "How's it feel?"

I shrugged. "'Bout the same."

"My training never discussed anything for the pain," he said.

"I kinda figured you weren't holding out on me." He was a jerk, but not _that_ kind of jerk. Of course, I think he was still in a mood about being shot down. By me. But when is Keith not in a mood?

"Most Galra think they are strong enough to overcome any pain," Keith explained. I guess he wanted to make sure I believed him. "They'll treat a physical injury, but are expected to endure the pain without assistance."

For some reason I wasn't surprised there was no Galra Tylenol or whatever. It made me remember how people back home dealt with venom, or at least tried to. Growing up near a beach you hear a lot of interesting things, and I couldn't help but smile a bit thinking about it. "You know what they say to do about jellyfish stings back on Earth."

"No."

"They-"

"I know what they do," Keith interrupted. "I'm saying no."

"It wasn't like I was asking!" I said quickly. I wasn't even sure if it worked with jellyfish, and this was totally different—and way worse—than a jellyfish. And it was Keith. Frankly, the cut off the foot idea was higher on my list.

Keith nodded slightly. "Good." He turned and started pulling.

When we got to the pod I decided I'd try to stand. I rolled over and got on my hands and knees, thankful that it didn't seem to bother my foot. Keith grabbed my right shoulder and helped me get on my feet. I was unsteady—I could put weight on my left foot, but keeping my balance was a bit of a challenge.

"Are you OK?" Keith asked as I unintentionally leaned into him. That was the second time in a quarter varga he'd asked how I felt, which had to be some kind of record.

"Just a bit unsteady," I told him.

"Let me know what you need."

I looked over at him and said something few people ever say. "Thanks, Keith."

It was a little awkward for Keith and me to duck through the small opening in the snow. I stumbled through with Keith right behind me. I looked up to see Allura staring back at us, her mouth just slightly open. She'd been making some kind of splint while I'd been gone, though I wasn't sure how well it would work.

"Keith?"

Keith pushed past me and knelt down beside Allura's injured leg. "Are you alright?"

Allura didn't answer. "But how… why?"

"I'll tell you everything," Keith promised. "But first, I want to be sure you're OK."

"I'll be fine," Allura assured him in a way that firm Princess way of hers. The one that's polite but lets you know the discussion is over. She glanced at me. "Is Lance alright? He looks so pale."

"He was bitten by a Zior," he explained. "Painful, but also harmless."

"Harmless to _Galra_ ," I corrected.

"Probably harmless," Keith admitted. His eyes were fixed on Allura's leg, but she'd made it pretty clear she didn't want any help at the moment. After a few ticks he moved over to me to me and helped me sit down. "I'm going to get this boot off. It's like a mosquito bite," he told me. "It bleeds and looks worse than it is."

I nodded, bracing myself for the world of hurt I was expecting when he pulled my boot off. To my surprise, I didn't really feel anything. My foot was already in so much pain that Keith's prodding didn't make a difference.

"Oh, Lance…" Allura said softly as she looked at my blood stained sock.

"That's _nothing_ like a mosquito bite," I said.

Allura squeezed my hand as Keith removed the sock, and for the first time I was able to see what the alien worm thing had done to me. Other than the blood, it looked a lot better than it felt. I'd been expecting a giant gash down the side of my foot, but it was more like I'd stepped on a nail. There was a little purplish swelling around the puncture, but nothing that explained the pain.

"It just needs some time," he assured me. "You should be able to walk on it once the swelling goes down." He looked over at Allura. "Until then, we just need to keep his foot warm."

Without hesitation, the Princess ripped a piece of fabric off of the upside-down chair next to her. Then she removed one of her gloves, grabbed my foot with a delicate Altean hand, and then gently wrapped the fabric around my foot. "Does that feel OK?" she asked.

Even though I was in agony I smiled a bit. Mainly because of how she jumped in to help without even thinking about it. A bit because I was sorta getting a foot massage from Allura. "Totally… but won't your hands get cold?"

"Not for a while," Allura said soothingly. "And I want to help with _something_." She had said Alteans were more resistant to the cold, but I still wasn't convinced. But I didn't want to argue either. She looked at Keith. "What are you doing here?"

"I was on a mission for the Blade of Marmora, looking for the _Cestova_ ," he said.

"The _Cestova_ ," Allura repeated quietly, like she knew the name. "That was one of the last vessels my father commissioned."

"And we think it got stranded in the Necrosis Nebula around the start of the war."

Allura looked hopeful. "If you were searching the nebula, you must have ship!"

"Had," Keith said, "Until Lance decided to shoot it down."

"I didn't _decide_ to do anything!" That didn't exactly come out the way I meant it, but it didn't really matter.

"You shot at Keith?" Allura asked in disbelief.

"It wasn't like that!" I said defensively. " _I didn't even know it was him!_ I saw a Galra ship, and I took the shot."

"And if it had been an enemy ship, you gave away your position and didn't learn anything in return."

"Dude, really? I wasn't trying to figure out what they are up to or whatever. I did what I thought was best to _keep my friend safe_."

Keith narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying I wouldn't have? Finding out what kind of enemy presence was on this planetoid-"

I held up both hands up, palm's facing him. "Ke-ke-ke-ke-Keith, that's not what I'm saying and you know it." I sighed. "Maybe you have a point. I've seen the way you go all super ninja and take guys down. But I'm not as good hand to hand. So I go with my strengths."

"So you blow them up at a distance."

"See? You're gettin' me."

"What's important now," Allura said, "is our next step."

I cringed slightly. "Keith sorta has a plan. It's crazy, but it's not horrible."

Keith frowned. "Thanks Lance."

"Anytime, man."

"What's your plan?" Allura asked.

"We find the _Cestova._ "

* * *

A/N: A little bit of rewriting in this chapter, which is why it took a bit longer to post than the last few. Hopefully it was worth the wait. There may be a few delays in December due to my personal schedule, but I'll post as much as I can.

As always, thanks so much for reading. Views, faves, follows, and especially reviews are all sincerely appreciated!


	15. To Brighten Up Even Your Darkest Night

**To Brighten Up Even Your Darkest Night**

"You haven't said a word since Keith left."

I looked up from the food packages I was sorting and shrugged. "I don't really have anything to say." Keith had explained his plan, answered Allura's questions, and brought in the supplies we had trucked back from his ship. Allura and I had just started to sort through them when Keith announced he had to go back to his fighter and start figuring out what kind of repairs were needed. There was no discussion, no debate. He just left. Like he does. I knew he had our backs, but I was wondering if he was becoming more of an ally than a member of the team.

"I'm not sure I believe that. Pidge once told me 'Lance is either sleeping, eating, or talking.'"

"Pidge _would_ say that," I replied.

Allura smiled a bit. "Some people would agree."

"Yeah… well, I do sometimes say four or five words in a row, so compared to Keith..." I looked down at my foot. It was still wrapped up, though Allura's hand had been replaced by a chemical heat pack we'd found on Keith's stuff. "I'm just not feeling a hundred percent right now."

Allura put down some food rations and put one hand on my shoulder. "And not just because of your foot."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Lance… I know you well enough to tell when something is bothering you. And I certainly know you can deal with a little pain."

"It's more than a little pain," I reminded her. Even Keith had admitted that, as far as stuff that doesn't kill you goes, Zior bites are up there among the worst. But I could tell Allura wasn't buying it; she didn't say anything but she was staring at me in that way she does. "You know how bad I feel about getting us stuck here," I said after a long, uncomfortable pause.

"I told you I understood."

"That still doesn't make it right. And maybe... I thought that I could make things right. Figure this out, and prove that I'm not, you know… but then Keith shows up and takes charge, and now he's the one saving the day and I know that's a good thing for us really and stuff, but it makes me feel like I'm just… I'm just _here_."

Allura slide her hand down my arm and grabbed my hand. "You've proven yourself many times. As I told you before, I _know_ you're a member of the team for a reason. I've seen it. Just because you made a mistake doesn't change that."

"I make a _lot_ of mistakes."

"We have made choices we regret, failed to accomplish goals we sought. And when people care deeply, those mistakes can burn inside us for a very long time." She squeezed my hand. "The strongest of us can still have insecurities."

"So your saying… like… I care too much?"

"Not too much," she corrected gently. "It just makes it harder for people like us to see the good we are doing."

My eyebrows raised a bit. "People like us?" That threw me a bit. Allura was so strong, and calm, and leader-ish. "You're like, as close to perfect as anyone I've ever met."

I think she actually blushed a bit. "I make many decisions that impact others. Most have been good, but some… sometimes I've failed those that count on me. And that knowledge weighs on me with every subsequent choice."

Was Allura saying she felt the same sort of stuff I did? That even with all of her confidence, and brilliance, and awesomeness, she still felt like sometimes she wasn't what she needed to be. "I get what you mean… but sometimes things don't work out, even when you try your hardest. That's not the same is making a dumb mistake."

"Mistakes come in many forms. My desire to befriend the Arusian's crippled the castle and nearly cost you your life."

"But… you were right to, like, get to know them. That's what I mean, it was good call. What happened totally wasn't your fault."

"But I could have been far more cautious. If I'd focused on security rather than a party… I made a poor decision because I wanted to embrace our new friends after millennia of isolation."

I nodded. It still wasn't the same, but I could see how it could make her feel sort of like I did. "You had no way of knowing. And you know I'd never blame you. No one would."

Allura smiled briefly. "As I said, we both care deeply. About our mission. About our team. Perhaps that burden makes the scars of our errors seem deeper to us than they do to others."

"So you're saying some of the things I've done-the stuff I screwed up—matters more to me than it does to the team?"

The Princess nodded. "When your heart is tied to those around you it is difficult to accept that failure is inevitable. It's both a commendable attribute and a painful burden."

"And you feel it to?" I asked. "I mean, I know how much you care. But I guess I always thought it, you know, made you stronger."

"Caring makes both of us stronger," she replied. "But it also makes it harder. Each and every mistake makes you wonder about what you could have done differently. And that can make you question what to do next."

"Yeah." I wasn't really sure what to add to that. I guess I hadn't really thought about how hard Allura had it. She wasn't just a Paladin, she was a leader to a lot of people who depended on her.

Allura looked down. "I worry about what happens next," she said. "This war—I'm fortunate to have so many strong allies and friends. But when we win, everything changes. Motivating thousands of cultures to fight for their freedom is far easier than convincing them to work together to ensure the peace. Yet when this war ends, they will look to me for guidance just as they looked to my father." She turned to lock eyes with me. "I believe that is my purpose, but I still face doubts that I am up to the task."

"Getting the entire universe to get along?" I smiled. "I couldn't think of anyone better for the job."

"Even if that is true, it is a complex and enormous task. And it involves more than just our allies. For peace to be lasting, for it to be real… it must include the Galra."

"Yeah… I guess a lot of people will want to stick it the Galra." I shrugged. "I never really was a gracious winner," I said, thinking back to how I'd destroy the competition in swimming events at Galaxy Garrison. "But that was mainly 'cause I was trying to impress the ladies." I smiled. "I don't think that will be a problem for you."

"Perhaps not. But it is always difficult to be magnanimous in victory."

"Magnanimous victories are the best," I agreed, not totally sure what I was saying.

"It will be different than anything I have ever done. And I worry that it may prove to be an impossible challenge."

"I don't think it's impossible. Especially not for you. Might take a while, but it will happen."

"You really believe the Galra, and all of those they've oppressed, can find a way to coexist?"

"There was, like, a ton of fighting on my planet. Big wars, little wars, cold wars… I never really studied history, but some of them happened for good reasons. You know, good versus evil. Fighting Earth's version of Zarkon and stuff. But others shouldn't of happened."

Allura nodded. "My father once said that 'the greatest tragedy is when something so terrible exists that war becomes just and necessary.'"

That did sound like the kind of thing a King would say. "But eventually the war ends. And yeah, even when good beats evil there can be a lot of grudges. A lot of people who may not have even known what the war was about, but they were taught that someone else was the enemy. And then they teach their kids that."

Allura frowned. "That is what concerns me with the Galra."

"But what happens is, one day, people realize that it's stupid to hold a grudge because people who are long gone were fighting over things that don't matter anymore."

"Wounds can run deep," Allura reminded me.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I don't know why most of this stuff happened on Earth… I'm not going to pretend to understand the whole universe. I mean, some of these people might of had good reasons at one time. I'm not the judgy type. And I know that it takes time to trust people again if they did something to you. But I think, in the end, people realize cutting yourself off from someone else for no good reason doesn't make you stronger, it makes _everyone_ weaker. And because we fought long ago isn't a good reason."

The Princess smiled. "You speak the truth, but I fear that your sentiments may not be shared by enough others."

"Hey," I said with a smile, "If _I_ can figure it out, anyone can."

* * *

A/N: So Lance gets to do some of what he's best at. For several reasons (chiefly because I think Lance caught up on sleep during history class) I kept things kind of vague, but I figured someone from a future Cuba with friends from all over the globe would have some thoughts on people getting back together after divisive events. And it seemed to fit with Allura's greatest upcoming challenges.

As always, I hope you enjoyed! Please fave, follow, view, and review! Your support is appreciated!


	16. Feels Like the World Upon My Shoulders

Feels Like the World Upon My Shoulders

Allura smiled and raised her eyebrows slightly. "You might lack the eloquence of a statesmen, but you have more wisdom than most of them."

I couldn't help but blush at that as I looked back into those big, beautiful eyes. "I don't think…"

"You have a rare ability to see and appreciate the needs of others. Even the greatest leaders often fail to see beyond their own."

I shrugged. I mean, I've always cared about other people. I never really thought about it being something special. "I dunno… I grew up in a big family. I learned that if my brothers and sisters weren't happy I wasn't either. Like we'd tease each other and stuff, and sometimes pranks got kinda outta hand, like that time I…" I trailed off as I realized that was something Allura didn't need to know about. "The point is, at the end of the day, if everyone was happy, everyone was happy. So I guess I think that way with other people too."

Allura frowned a little. "Unfortunately the universe is far larger and more complex than a family," she said.

I smiled at her. "You haven't met _my_ family." I think she actually smiled a bit at that, but it was hard to tell. "But yeah, I know what you mean. Still, for the most part, people are people. Like, I mean you have your Zarkons and stuff, but the average everyday people."

"Not everyone can see that as clearly as they should." Allura closed her eyes for a moment, like see was deep in thought. "Even I must face my own biases. I know the actions of a few should not condemn the whole, yet after all the pain and suffering the Galra have caused… I know what is right, but I sometimes find it challenging to put aside my own resentment."

"Pretty much how I feel about Keith."

Allura just glared at me.

I put my hand on her shoulder. "Look, what I mean is, you have more reason than pretty much anybody to hate the Galra. After what Zarkon did to Altea…" I winced a little; brining up how your entire planet was destroyed probably wasn't the best pep talk strategy. "The point is, the fact that you are willing to try and make things right will mean a lot. Setting the example and stuff."

"Perhaps when this war is over you'll help me set the example."

For a tick I actually thought she might be coming onto me and felt a shot of excitement run through me. "Yes, totally!" I quickly realized that probably isn't what she meant, plus I sounded way to desperate if it was, so I tussled my hair casually and added, "Like, if I have time and stuff."

To be fair, I _did_ have other responsibilities. Before we found Blue, I was supposed to be a Galaxy Garrison officer. I'm not sure how that works when part way through training you leave to fly a sort of magic alien robot space lion. Pretty sure that one never came up before. Hopefully it meant a parade and lots of cheering fans.

More importantly, I had no idea what kind of situation my family was in. If they needed me, I had to be there for them. But if I had a choice, I wasn't going to say no to Allura.

"I hope you find the time."

It's funny... up until that screwed up mission I would have thought she was just being nice. After all, she's a Princess who's respected across the universe and I'm a dude from Cuba who somehow managed to claw his way into Galaxy Garrison. The way she walks and talks and… it really is as close to perfect as anyone I ever knew. I just kind of assumed all she'd ever need from me was little cover fire.

But I'd never really thought about how hard it was to be her; I guess I kind of thought it just came naturally. And some of it probably did, after all she is smart, confident, collected. But there are other things not everyone saw, stuff that she didn't want them to see but were still very real. The kind of thoughts and emotions and stuff that you have when the weight of the universe is literally on your shoulders.

For the first time, I realized that maybe she really did need some help lifting that weight. It wasn't like I could do much; I'm not anyone special. But when we stumbled going forward, I _could_ remind her of how far we'd come. When she made a mistake, I could point out how often she was right. When she doubted herself, I could let her know how much I believed in her.

"I would really want to help," I said. It didn't really matter what she meant, I decided. I was going to be there for her however she wanted me to be. I smiled at the thought of spending time with her. "And I'll do everything—" I stopped as the strange sound of something scraping on the outside of our shelter echoed through the room.

I silently motioned Allura to stay put—she was in no shape to check this out—then stuffed my still swollen foot back into my boot. It hurt, but that didn't matter now. I grabbed my bayard and snuck outside as quietly as I could, dropping to the ground as soon as I was clear of the door and activating my rifle. I swung it back towards where the sound had been coming from. It was darker now, but I could still make out a familiar shape.

"Keith?"

He stopped what he was doing and turned towards me, not bothering to deactivate his face mask.

"You going to shoot me again?"

I lowered the rifle. "What the heck are you doing?"

He jerked his head towards the "I needed some sheet allow to get started on repairs to my ship."

"So you just start ripping metal OFF OF THE SHIP? I thought something was trying to eat us or something!"

I could almost feel him rolling his eyes under that dumb blade mask. "There is nothing on this planet that can eat you."

I pointed down angrily. "Tell that to my foot!"

"It wasn't trying to eat you." He shrugged. "Just trying to lay eggs in you."

"W-WHAT?"

"I need to get back to work."

I climbed up onto the "N-n-n-n-no…. you don't just tell me something laid eggs in me and walk away."

Keith sighed loudly. "I said it was _trying_. It can't actually lay the eggs unless the venom paralyzes you."

I swallowed. "So I'm _not_ going to have alien space worms bursting out of my chest?"

"No. And you've watched too many movies." Keith turned back to me. "Besides, they don't come out of your chest."

* * *

A/N: So this was the last chapter written mostly before S8 dropped… and it actually seems to fit pretty well with the later relationship between Lance and Allura.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read. Your views, follows, faves, and especially reviews are all sincerely appreciated!

And finally, warmest wishes for an awesome holiday season and a spectacular new year!


	17. It's a Matter of Trust

**It's a Matter of Trust**

I was satisfied nothing _too_ dangerous was outside, but still a little unsure if I was getting the whole story about worm eggs. Either way, I headed back inside where at least it wasn't windy. Keith spent a few more dobashes pulling things off the pod before he finally joined us.

Allura gave him one of her looks. "It would have been nice to let us know you'd returned before you commenced with dismantling our ship."

I couldn't help but smile a bit at that. "I wasn't expecting you back so soon."

"The damage to my ship was less extensive than I originally thought." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Apparently you're not quite as good of a shot as you thought."

"I hit those intakes _dead on_."

Keith shrugged. "Maybe you need a bigger gun." He looked at Allura. "Lance _did_ sever the primary fuel line in the right engine. But that should be a simple fix, I know all the Castle's pods carry spare line."

I pressed my lips together. "Umm…"

Allura frowned slightly. "Unfortunately Lance vaporized most of it while we were conducting our own repairs."

"Perfect," Keith mumbled. "And I assume whatever is left is scattered in the debris field."

"My foot's already feeling much better," I lied. "I'll go out and see if I can find some."

"Not worth the time. Anything in the debris field will be too badly damaged to use."

"We might be able to patch it," I said. I'm no Pidge, but fixing a hole in a hose seemed pretty easy by starship engineering standards."

"You can waste your time if you want," Keith snapped. "I can fly it on one engine anyway. We only need to find the cruiser."

I glanced at Allura than back at Keith. "Ohhkay... But-"

"The quantum furniculator of the left engine is ruptured," Keith interrupted, "but I should be able to patch it with the metal I collected from the pod."

That sounded way harder than fixing a hose. "Since when did you become a mechanic?" I asked.

"Members of the Blade learn to be self-reliant," he said like it somehow made him special.

"Personally I prefer the team approach," I said. I would have felt _much_ better if Hunk was making these repairs.

"And when there's a team, that's fine," Keith said sounding irritated. Of course he sounds irritated so much it's sometimes hard to tell if he really is.

"We have a team," Allura reminded him way more nicely than I was about to. "You don't need to do this all by yourself."

For a second Keith looked upset, but then he exhaled and his shoulders drooped a bit. "Fine. Lance, if you want to try and some fuel line; we'll see what we can do with it. And Allura, if you're feeling up to it, you can help me re-calibrate the furniculator."

"I'm feeling fine," she said. My mouth dropped open as she slowly stood. A quintent ago it had looked like her leg had almost been twisted off. Now, between her splint and leaning against the side of the pod, she was standing almost straight up. I mean she was unsteady, and I could tell it hurt, but it was still amazing.

"Altean wounds heal quickly," she said. "The life force within us accelerates the process. Still, there are limits without a healing pod. It may be a while before I can walk a distance."

Of course, Keith has a way of sucking the joy out of something amazing. "We may not have a while. The Galra are still looking for the cruiser, and if they find it—or us—it means trouble."

"We could use the cargo container lid," I suggested.

Keith nodded. "Good idea. I'll take Allura to my ship so we can start on repairs, you got look for fuel line and meet us there."

"Hold up. How about _I_ help the Princess to the ship and _you_ find the fuel lines."

"Two reasons. I'm stronger than you—"

"How do ya figure that?" I interrupted. I stood closer to Keith, trying to emphasize how I was taller than him.

Keith rolled his eyes. "I thought it was obvious. Your arms and legs are like noodles."

"It's called a _swimmer's build_ ," I said defensively. "It doesn't mean I'm weak." Keith wasn't exactly built himself, though he probably did have a bit more muscle than me. Of course, there's also the fact he's half purple alien.

"More importantly," Keith said, "you have no idea how the repair Galra engines."

"You just need to patch the quantum fornicator or whatever." Even to me that didn't sound right.

Keith's eyes narrowed. "Furniculator."

"Ok, point taken, but—"

"We don't have time to discuss this," Keith cut me off. "I'm going to load the metal I collected onto the sled. Help Allura get what she needs put together. We'll head out in ten dobashes."

As Keith left I looked at Allura. It was my turn to roll my eyes. "So much for team, huh?"

"His forcefulness is only because he honestly believes he knows what is best. This isn't about control or self-gratification for him."

"Yeah… pretty sure that's not his plan." I sighed. "I know he wants to help. He's just so Keith-ish sometimes."

"Keith is still learning many things in his life," Allura offered diplomatically. Sometimes I wish she'd just take sides. Preferably my side. "Defining his own leadership style, among other things."

"You and Shiro make it look easy."

"I was groomed from birth to one day take my father's place. Shiro spent a tremendous amount of time training to be a leader. Keith does not have the benefit of such experiences."

"I guess. But still, he's not _really_ in charge anymore. I mean, he left…"

"Is he the best qualified to implement our plan?" Allura asked.

"Well, he did come up with it, so…"

"Do you trust him?"

"I…" I paused, thinking of a lot of things I could say to that question. But I decided to go with the simple truth. "Yes, I do."

"Then isn't it reasonable that he should take the lead in our current situation?"

So much for taking my side. But I had to admit she had a point. As annoying as Keith was, he was our best shot. And once again I was just along for the ride.

* * *

AN: I hope everyone enjoyed the latest installment! As you can see, the team is getting close to leaving the Planetoid behind! As always, thank you so much for your views, follows, faves, and reviews!

Just as quick note in case anyone is interested and reads more than one of my stories: The next chapter of Cruel Path Home is nearing completion and I started drafting a Post Season 8 Voltron story that I think a lot of you will enjoy. The first chapter or two of that will be posted fairly soon, and if you have the time to read—and especially give some feedback—it will be greatly appreciated.

Speaking of feedback, I just wanted to give a TREMNDOUS THANK YOU to those of you who have taken the time to review this story, including: L.E-Rae, Myherogal22, LaraAelric, Shastelly, Paladianofvoltron, Star, riverofdaydreams, Yeet, LBthebookworm, DissectionKit, 011100101011, HalcyonDays, 174156, Dragunz, and the awesome Guest reviewers. Your support keeps me going!


	18. Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

**But I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For**

"How's it going?"

Allura's comm call kind of startled me-I'd been pretty zoned out. After all, there wasn't a whole lot to stay focused on climbing endlessly up the side of a ridge. With my foot on fire. In the snow.

"Uh… nothing where I found the power supply. I'm looking further up the ridge now."

"Just don't take too much time," Keith's voice cut in. "We're almost ready to start calibrating the furniculator."

"Cool your thrusters. I shouldn't be more than a few vargas."

"Once we have the furniculator repaired, we don't need the fuel line. Both engines would be good. But one is enough."

One is enough. I was starting to think that was Keith's motto since hooking up with the Blade of Marmora. "Copy."

"The snow is getting heavier here," Allura said. "How is it at your location?"

"Probably about the same," I told her, not sure why it really mattered. It didn't change what I had to do.

"Keep an eye on it," Keith instructed. "You don't want to get stuck out there."

Really Keith? "Got it. Lance out."

I could already see another pile of twisted metal a bit further up the ridge and headed towards it as fast as I could on the slippery rocks. As I got closer, I started to realize most of it was buried under too much snow to be from our pod. Whatever it was, it had been here longer than us.

I already had a sinking feeling, but when I started brushing the snow away my worst fears were confirmed. Sitting in the wreckage was the messed up head of a Galra sentry, its body probably buried inside the crushed remains of its ship.

I opened up the comm channel. "Lance to Allura and Keith."

There was a brief pause. "What is it?" Keith asked grumpily. I guess he'd been busy doing something.

"I have some bad news." I swallowed. "The Galra are already here."

"How do you know?" Keith asked.

"I'm looking at part of a sentry's head."

Keith sighed. "I'd hoped we'd have more time before the Galra mobilized."

"It's worse than that," I told him. "His ship is covered in a lot of snow. He's been here _longer_ than we have. At least, longer than me and Allura."

"Actually, it may be somewhat fortuitous," Allura said. "If the Galra are searching the entire nebula, their forces will be spread thin. It is likely there are no other enemy ships in the vicinity."

"I agree," Keith said. "But we have no way of knowing for sure. We need to proceed as if reinforcements could arrive at any moment." He paused for a moment, and I wondered if he was thinking or talking privately with Allura. "Time's up on the fuel line search," he continued after a few ticks, "get back here as quickly as possible."

"Yeah sure…. I should be there in under three vargas," I told him, not that I was really sure. I could see Allura's suit transponder on my own armor's sensors, but I had no way of knowing what the terrain was like between me and her. "You know, unless it takes longer." I didn't want Keith's opinion on that, so I decided to sign off the comm. "Lance out."

I looked down at the sentry head. Somehow it looked even creeper dead than alive. Not that a sentry is ever really alive… at least, I don't think they are. That would make it some kind of freaky zombie robot, and I think someone would have mentioned that to me.

I started back down the ridge. The snow was getting even heavier now and the wind was picking up. My armor was keeping me warm enough, but that wasn't my only weather problem. I was having trouble seeing ahead of me in the wind-blown snow. It wasn't a total white out, but trying to plan my route over the rough terrain was becoming a royal pain. Twice I ended up at wide chasms. I crossed the first one with my jetpack but quickly realized trying to fly in the heavy snow was not easy. I decided to walk around the second one, which pretty much meant my three vargas estimate was out the window.

I thought about giving the others a heads up on the new timetable, but decided I'd wait until I had a better idea of when I'd make to the fighter. After all, that was going to be Keith's first question. Of course, I should have known Commander Mullet would check in for a status update. At time I was trying to keep my balance on a narrow row of slippery rocks, so chatting with my want-to-be baby sitter was not high on my list.

"Where are you?"

"Somewhere between where you are and where I was."

"That's not helpful Lance," Keith said in a way that made me think he thought I'd been trying to give him a serious answer.

"Sorry," I said, grunting as I leapt to the next rock. Fortunately I didn't slip; I really didn't want Keith's voice to be the last thing I ever heard. "I must of left my map in Red."

"Right…" That time Keith got the sarcasm. I could hear it in his voice. "Just get here as fast as you can."

"Kind of the plan," I told him.

"Just making sure you're not out there searching for your facial cream or something."

I wasn't sure if that was a bad Keith joke or something he actually thought I would do. The suit heaters are kind of murder on my skin, but I'd worry about that when we got back to the castle. "Look, I'll be there when I can. Out."

In the end it took me just over five vargas to get to Keith's fighter. The good news was I hadn't seen any more evidence of Galra; the bad news was repairs were going slower than Keith had planned. I was exhausted; between the terrain and the snow I'd probably walked twice as far as I'd expected. So of course I got put right to work.

Keith didn't even look up from what he was doing; he just started giving me order. "Some of the relays on the aft interocitor need to be reset in order to complete the calibration. You'll need to get your armor off to fit back there."

I frowned. Stripping down to my undersuit in the middle of a blizzard was not my idea of fun. I thought about protesting for a bit-after all Keith is smaller than me and his Blade uniform was way less bulky than armor—but I decided if this was how he needed me to help I'd do it, even if it stunk.

The crawlspace in Galra fighters make Altean pods look huge; I guess the dudes the Galra have doing repairs don't really get to complain much. At least the work was pretty simple: insert the reset pin into the relays in an order that Allura yelled down to me from the cockpit. After about twenty dobashes Allura announced things looked good, and after Keith double checked everything I was finally able to get out of the crawlspace.

By that time I was shivering enough that it was tricky getting my armor back on, but at least Keith actually seemed a little less mopey. And if almost getting frostbite was what it took to get us off this rock, I could live with that.

* * *

A/N: Almost ready for liftoff! As always, thank you for your views, follows, faves and especially reviews.

And finally: Best wishes for a fantastic New Year!


	19. I'm Burnin' through the Sky

**I'm Burnin' through the Sky**

Galra fighters aren't designed for three people. More like one and a half. There's the pilot seat, and then this weird kind of harness thing so that a second person can strap themselves to the wall. Keith, of course, decided he was going to fly. I actually had to give that one to him: with only one engine, we needed someone who _really_ knew the ship at the controls. I insisted that Allura take the harness. With her messed up leg it would of been hard for her to brace herself if we did any crazy maneuvers. That left me just kind of hanging. It kind of reminded me of our first flight on Blue—of course, I was the one that got the seat that time.

Keith pressed a few buttons on the panel and the ship started to shudder. "Infracells activated, standby for ignition." After three or four ticks there was a boom that shook the ship so violently I assumed something had to have blown up. Even with my limited view outside I could see the white snow reflecting what looked like a purple fireball rising into the sky.

"Um, Keith…"

"It's fine." The way he said it was about as convincing as when Hunk says he's not about to puke. "All indications are adequate."

Slowly we lifted off. With only one engine the ship bucked around a lot and it took him a few ticks to stabilize. Keith then turned the ship to face the sky and added power. It vibrated for a tick, then shot upward through the clouds. I could tell he was really fighting to keep us going straight, but things seemed to get better as we picked up speed.

"We'll be clear of the atmosphere in a few more ticks," Keith said. The ship shook again. I couldn't see any readouts from where I was, but the feeling of acceleration was gone.

"We're losing power," Keith said. He glanced back at me. "The aft relays are failing."

"Don't blame _me_ ," I told him. " _You_ said it was good!" Of course, I wasn't _that_ confident. Sure Keith had checked my work, but he'd been in a hurry. And I had habit of screwing things up.

"They were operational; the amplitude variation must be too much for them," Allura suggested.

Keith nodded in agreement. "They need to be reset them again."

"I—alright." It wasn't like there was another option. I started to pull my armor off.

Keith shook he head. "There's a lot of toxic and electrified stuff back there when the engine is running."

Just because things didn't suck enough already. Unfortunately I was going to have to take my chances. "Have you ever actually _been_ back there?" I asked. "I ditch the armor or I don't fit."

"At least keep your helmet on," he instructed. "It's better than nothing."

"Let me help you," Allura said as she started to undo one of my shoulder pads. The cockpit was so small she didn't even need to unhook her harness to reach. It would be a lie to say I'd never thought about being undressed by a beautiful woman, but none of those daydreams had been involved plummeting to our death in an alien spaceship. Or Keith.

"Hurry up." Keith was starting to sound irritated now.

"I'm going," I snapped as I slipped the last piece of armor off my leg. I pulled the hatch engineering compartment off and crawled inside.

Keith was right about a lot of things I didn't want to touch. Things that glowed purple or had smoke coming off of them, or in one case seemed to shoot little tiny sparks randomly. Even some of the things I'd used as handholds before were now glowing white-hot from nearby engine components.

Keiths voice crackled through my helmet. "About four dobashes until none of this matters," he said impatiently. I didn't really need to be told to speed up. I could tell by the way ship was shaking we were back in the atmosphere and not exactly under control.

The relay panel looked totally different all powered up. There were all sorts' of indications and lights that meant nothing to me. I pulled the reset tool out and asked Keith for instructions.

"Which relays are red and blue?" he asked.

"Uh… two of them in the top row."

"Try resetting those."

I did as I was told. The first when went fine. The second made a giant purple spark that arced from the reset tool to my helmet. "Woah." I could smell metal burning. "Ah, I tired but we're one for two man."

"Are any of them red?"

"About half." I smacked my lips. "Does purple have a taste?"

"Just try those."

I started inserting the tool into the red relays as fast as I could. Most of them changed to green, though after about six I got hit with another big spark. This time it arced over my arm, burning through my sleeve and searing my skin. It was the kind of burn I could ignore for now, but I still wasn't happy. "Any chance, of like, _good_ instructions?"

"We don't have time to do this the normal way," he told me. "It's going to take some guesswork."

I looked at the reset tool. If things were reversed, I'd be telling Keith exactly where to stick it. After hitting a few more relays I heard a low groaning noise that seemed to come from everywhere. It was a bit like the night in the Garrison Dorm after they served the bad chicken in the cafeteria. Then the engine kicked back to full power with a boom, and I could feel the ship accelerating again.

"Good work, Lance," Allura said excitedly.

"About time," Keith said. After a tick he added, "Not bad."

By the time I got out of the engineering compartment we were already back in space. Keith and Allura were looking over one of the displays, trying to figure out where to start our search for the Altean cruiser. They both agreed we should head back to where we had first encountered the torpedo mine, but they disagreed where to go next.

"We have enough sensor power to compute for drift," Allura said. "We could calculate a probability cone based on local gravimetric distortions."

Captain Patience shook his head. "That would take too long. We need to start a search pattern now. Every tick we stay put the chances of the Galra finding the ship—or us—go up."

"I'm with Allura on this one," I said as I pulled off my helmet. "Without some direction it's like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Allura frowned. "In that situation would it not be easier to acquire a replacement needle?"

"Yeah but… it's an Earth expression, OK?" Allura is so easy to talk with sometimes I forget she's from another planet.

"I see, you're emphasizing the challenge of the search, not the needle itself." She looked at Keith. "I agree with Lance. Without more to go on, the _Cestova_ will be a most elusive needle."

"Fine," Keith grumbled. "We'll see what we can calculate in half a varga, and then we start searching."

The Galra fighter's sensors and computers were nowhere near those of a typical Altean ship. Galra built them more for numbers; they let the cruisers and other big ships do the heavy lifting when it comes to scans and stuff. But Allura is super smart, and in half a Varga she had mapped the nearby region of the space. She worked with Keith to plot a search pattern where she thought the _Cestova_ was most likely to be.

After six vargas, I was starting to wonder if Allura's computations were worth the effort she put into them. But that's when we found it. We cleared a field of space dust and suddenly it was there. The _Cestova_ was shimmering in the strange light, its smooth hull polished and reflective like it had just left spacedock the quintent before. Alteans know how to make spaceships look amazing. It was one of the most beautiful sights I'd ever seen in space.

And then, sneaking up from behind the Altean ship like a monster in a nightmare, was a Galra ship.

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed. As you can see, things are about to get a bit more complicated!

I knew I say it every time, but I it's important: Thank you for your support, views, faves, follows, and especially reviews! It is greatly appreciated!

Oh, and extra credit to anyone that figures out the Artists/Songs that the chapter titles are from. I know a couple reviewers have already gotten a few!

Thanks again!


	20. How I Wish, I Wish It Weren't So

**How I Wish, I Wish It Weren't So**

I felt a cold chill run down my spine.

"They're already here," Keith said softly. I couldn't see his face from where I was sitting in the back of the cockpit, but it was probably similar to Allura's. Her mouth had dropped open, the excitement that had been in her eyes movements earlier was suddenly dead.

After a tick of hesitation, Keith started to swing the fighter around. With only one engine, it was moving sluggishly.

The Galra ship fired at us, but whatever it had launched was bigger and slower than a normal missile.

"What was _that_?" I asked.

"Grappler," Keith said. "It's a salvage ship."

"So… they are trying to capture us with a tow cable?" I asked.

"Pretty much." Keith started twisting the ship back to the right when another grappler shot out from the Galra ship. That one missed too, but it was close enough that the cable attached to it scrapped across the hull.

"They're getting closer," I said.

Keith's eyes narrowed a bit as he focused. "I know."

The Galra ship had cleared the _Cestova_ and was moving towards us. It isn't something I really bring up often, but the truth is Keith's a really good pilot. He was doing stuff with our crippled fighter that most Galra couldn't pull off in a fully operational one. But there was nothing he could do to make it go any faster, and the salvage ship kept closing.

"We need to get out of here," Keith said.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I thought that was what you were trying to do!"

"I mean abandon ship," he said. He turned to look back at us. "If they pull us in they'll cut through the hull and throw in stun grenades. If we bail out, we might make it to the Altean ship. We know from experience Galra don't track our armor very well." He was right: we'd snuck up on Galra ships and bases before by ditching the lions and flying in with our packs.

It was a good idea, and I started reattaching my armor. But when I saw my helmet I suddenly felt like I was going to throw up.

I took a deep breath. "Um… little problem," I said, trying not to let any emotions show. I held up my helmet, turning it towards them. For the most part it was just scorched, but where it had already been dented the electrical sparks had burned clean through. I wouldn't more than a few ticks outside if my suit couldn't seal properly. Definitely not long enough to fly to the Altean ship. "So… yeah. Guess I'm staying put."

"Absolutely not!" Allura said.

Keith looked sad. Like not his normal mopey sad, but really, genuinely upset about what was happening. His lip actually looked like it trembled for a tick, but that might of been my imagination. "If… Allura and I go, we can get help. If we all stay…"

"Keith's right," I said. It felt strange to say it. "If we all get captured its game over. If I stay behind, I can keep flying the ship, distract them and stuff. If we're lucky, they won't even notice you."

Keith nodded. "The lasers have a much higher energy output than our packs. If you fire them as we leave, it will help ensure they don't detect us."

"I don't like this at all," Allura said stiffly. But I could tell she was starting to realize what needed to be done. She knew if the situation was reversed she'd make the same sacrifice without hesitating.

"I don't either," Keith agreed. "But getting all three of us captured helps no one."

Another grappler shot by, and Keith rotated the fighter abruptly to miss it. I found myself pressed against the sidewall near Allura.

"You could borrow my helmet," Allura suggested. "With my injury I'm the least valuable in combat. It would make sense for me to stay behind."

"No," I said firmly. "You're too important. I'm a pilot. You're a princess and a leader."

"That doesn't matter."

Keith had already started unstrapping himself from the pilot seat. "We're going to an Altean ship. Your our best hope at finding something we can use over there."

"It's the best way," I said.

Allura put her hand on my cheek and locked eyes with me. "Are you sure this... is what you want?"

It was about as far from what I wanted as it could be. But that didn't really matter. "It's what _we_ _need._ " I took a deep breath, and looked at her, trying my best to smile. "I'll be fine. 'Cause I know you'll be coming back for me."

Keith squeezed my shoulder. "Count on it," he said with a kind certainty that made me feel better.

I took Keith's place at the controls just in time to see another grappler heading towards us. I swung the ship hard to the right, but one of the thing's multiple metal prongs made contact with the hull. I increased power and rolled the ship left, trying to break free. With the sound of tearing metal the grappler broke away.

"Time to go," I told Keith and Allura. I wasn't going to be able to avoid the Galra for much longer.

"There's no airlock," Keith said, "but the hatch will reseal automatically and the cockpit will pressurize in only a tick or two." He pointed to a set of red controls to the right of the main panel. "Primary fire controls."

"Got it."

Keith moved to the hatch and pulled Allura close to him, helping her stand on her weak leg. He looked straight at me. "I'll see you soon." With that, he popped the hatch.

The rush of air escaping the shuttle sucked them out almost instantly. It roared past me like an icy wind, but my seatbelts held. A tick later the door slammed shut and the hurricane stopped.

As soon as I saw they were clear I swung the ship around to face the Galra. I wasn't trying to avoid them anymore: I had to distract them. I opened fire, but the lasers seemed to dissipate as soon as they hit the enemy ship. The salvage ship was only a fraction the size of a cruiser but its armor was still too tough for the fighter's weapons.

Which is pretty much what I expected, and it really wasn't important. All that mattered was giving Keith and Allura the best chance to fly unnoticed towards the _Cestova_. I wasn't sure how or when I'd seem them again, but I knew they wouldn't give up on me. Maybe they'd find something on the Altean ship they could use, or maybe they'd go back to the Castle and organize a rescue with our allies. It really didn't matter as long as they were safe; I'd just need to find some way to keep going until they figured stuff out.

I added power and brought the fighter around to face what looked like the bridge. I nailed the shot: my lasers splashed across the windows with no effect, but I was pretty sure I'd ticked off whoever was up there. The Galra ship maneuvered abruptly to get a better firing angle on me. That meant they either hadn't seen Keith and Allura, or were choosing to let them go. Either way, it was a win. The problem was it also set the Galra up for a great shot.

The next grappler hit just to the right of the windshield, and I could see its claws dig into the outer hull. There was no getting away this time. Still, I wasn't going to make this easy. I twisted the fighter so that the dead engine was facing the Galra ship and nudged up against it. As they reeled in my fighter they had to drag it along the side of their ship. I wasn't sure if it was doing any real damage, but it slowed them down and made me feel better.

Eventually time was up. I felt the fighter hit the floor in a hangar bay, and ticks later someone started cutting into the hull. I curled myself up in the opposite corner and activated my bayard, training the rifle on where they were cutting. I waited until they were almost through and opened fire. The cutting stop and I heard metal clatter to the floor: either I'd knocked out a sentry, or at the very least blown its arm off.

It was a short-lived success. The shot had left a small hole in the side of the ship, and the Galra dropped in a small silver canister. It bounced down the sidewall and landing on the floor. For several ticks it just sat there, and I resisted the urge to crawl over and investigate. I decided the best option was to shoot it, but before I could bring my rifle to bear the thing exploded. A spider web of ultra-thin electrified wires stretched out in every direction, nasty looking sparks flying between them.

I tried to push myself further back against the wall, but it didn't matter. Dozens of the thin wires touched me. I felt my muscles spasm as the high voltage electricity ran through my body. It was one of the strangest things I had ever felt, like a painful vibration.

It didn't hurt as much as the zior had, but it was far more terrifying because I couldn't move. My entire body was stiff, like my muscles had simply frozen and place. It was bad enough that my arms and legs didn't work, but I quickly realized my lungs were as paralyzed as the rest of me.

My mind screamed for air, but I just couldn't breathe. After several ticks I could feel the lack of oxygen catching up with me. My thoughts got hazy, my sight started to go dark. And then, after what felt like a terrifying forever, I passed out.

* * *

A/N: No breaks for Lance quite yet… though at least he gets some reassurance from his team… even Keith!

Hope you all enjoyed! As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read. Faves, follows, and especially reviews are all greatly appreciated!


	21. Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself

**Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself**

When I came to I felt cold and totally worn out. Every muscle ached like crazy and I was completely exhausted, like I'd spent a few straight quintants in the gym. Even my eyes hurt, but I forced them open anyway.

What I saw was about what I'd come to expect from the Galra: a dark metal room with a heavy-duty door, some white and purplish lights, and no furniture other than the hard metal I was sitting on. One wall had displays on it, but the rest looked like bare metal except for some vents and stuff. It didn't smell great either, but I wasn't sure if that was the room or me. I hadn't exactly had time to take a shower since leaving Vostoth.

I was kind of surprised by what I was wearing. My clothes had been replaced with a white robe-like that was totally different than anything I'd seen Galra prisoners in. My ankles were bound with some kind of restraint that also connected to the chair, but at least my hands were free. There wasn't really anything I could do with them, but I was glad I wasn't completely tied up.

I don't know how long I sat there. At first, other than the crazy muscle aches, I was mostly OK. I'd pretty much known what to expect. But the longer things dragged on, the more worried I got. Maybe they'd decided I wasn't worth their time, but what if I something bad was going on? Were they hunting down Keith and Allura? Worse yet, could they have captured them already and be interrogating them? And I couldn't shake the fear that my friends had been hurt or killed. Even the thought made me feel sick.

Finally, after what felt like a quintant but was probably only a few vargas, the door slid open and a tall Galra stepped in. He looked fairly young, though I'm not really great at telling how old aliens are. "I'm Vice Commander Dikade," he announced in a deep voice. "And it appears your foolishness has become my good fortune."

I returned his stare. "At least one of us is having a good day."

Dikade motioned another, shorter, Galra and a sentry to step into the room, then the door sealed behind them. "A recovery expedition is of limited interest to a warrior, even when the prize is as impressive as this vessel." He took a step closer and kneeled down so that he was at eye level with me. The yellow eyes, the purple hair, the hideous fangs. There was a time when it would have made me squirm. Now, mostly, it made me think Keith was lucky he got his looks from the human side of the family.

"I had thought we might find some pirates trying to salvage what they could," Dikade continued. "Perhaps even an operative of the Blade of Marmora. Never did I consider I would find a Paladin of Voltron."

The fact he hadn't mentioned _three_ paladins made me think he still didn't know about Keith and Allura. That was good. "Who says I'm a Paladin?"

"Your armor was quite recognizable," he said. "I'm assuming from its coloration you are associated with the Blue Lion?"

"Assume away."

"Your precise position does not concern me. Simply capturing a Paladin is something few Galra have achieved."

"Holding us is another problem entirely," I told him, realizing to late that I'd just admitted I was a Paladin. Like, I think he already knew, but not confirming anything like that is sort of the first rule of being interrogated. And I wasn't really _being_ interrogated yet; I started to wonder if I was doing that bad before they got started how was I going to hold up when the needles and things came out. I had to do better.

"Indeed. I am aware of others'… failures. Rest assured, I have taken precautions to ensure the security of my prize."

"Prize? You really think anyone cares about me without my Lion?"

"I intend to provide the high command with the information they need to find it."

"And how are you going to _pull_ that off?" I saw Dikade's right hand curled into a fist, and he smiled. "Oh." On the plus-side that would distract him for a while longer; on the downside, you know… torture.

The Commander looked at the other Galra. "With the Paladin, the Altean cruiser, and the location of the Lion my standing will be greatly enhanced. I will finally be able to get out from under Morvok's shadow."

"Morvok," I repeated. The name sounded really familiar.

"You know the Commander?" Dikade asked.

"Yeah," I said as it came back. "He was the dude that messed up stuff for the Taujeerians." I never actually met Morvok, but the Taujeerians had been more than happy to tell us about how horrible he was. "We kicked his butt."

The Galra actually smiled. "He is a most unimpressive officer."

"He's no Dickweed."

He hissed through nasty looking clenched teeth. "Dikade."

I smiled. "Oh, my bad." I realize that making fun of your captor's name right before he tortures you is probably not the smartest thing to do, but I never was a straight A student.

"You'll find I am not like other Galra officers you have met," Dickade said, either accepting my apology or just giving me a pass. "I value your information more than your suffering. If you answer my questions, I will do what I can to make the rest of your life tolerable."

"Nice offer, but I think I'll pass."

"I was told that humans were strong-willed," he remarked. "I can respect that." I'd bet he'd been told humans were strong willed; after all the only ones the Galra had gotten to know up close were Shiro and the Holts. He rested a clawed finger on my cheek, pushing down until it just started to hurt. "But there are limits to my patience."

"You want me to give you some information? How about you have no idea the kind of hurt you're in for when Voltron shows up. Ask Morvok how things went down for him."

"It would be best for you if Morvok remains unaware of your presence," Dikade said darkly. "He will bring you to a specialized facility, take everything he can from you by the cruelest means, and then present your shattered remains to the Emperor. If you are fortunate they will execute you then. If not…" The Galra gave me a creepy smile. "But we may be able to help each other. If you provide me with information here, I can bring it directly to the High Command. Such a triumph will give me the prestige and authority to ensure you a somewhat more pleasant future."

So this dude was willing to go around his boss to try and get a promotion, but he needed my help to do it. I frowned. "So I don't talk and get tortured and executed… or give up my friends and just live quietly in a cell for the rest of my life?"

"I believe we understand each other. Once Voltron and other renegade elements are crushed it is possible you may even find grater leniency offered."

There was no way I was giving him anything useful, but if I could make him think I was cooperating it might help buy time. Or at least delay the pain. I took a deep breath, trying to look like I was seriously thinking things over.

"What… do you want to know?"

* * *

AN: As always, thank you so much for the support! Faves, follows, and especially reviews are beyond awesome!


	22. A Heart of Steel Starts to Grow

**A Heart of Steel Starts to Grow**

So I guess we all show who we are in different ways. Since leaving Earth I'd gotten to know what made each member of the team strong. Shiro was an accomplished leader, hardened by captivity and still full of determination. Pidge was a brilliant scientist who could solve problems no one else could even understand. Hunk was a super talented engineer who could also make pretty much anyone in the universe smile. Even Keith was… well, honestly, pretty much the best pilot I'd ever met.

For the longest time I felt like I was the guy that just happened to be with them when they stumbled onto the Blue Lion. And that was sort of true. I didn't have a crazy talent or anything. I'd probably done more dumb things than the rest of the team put together. I mean sure, I could shoot good and fly ok, but compared to the rest of the team there really wasn't anything all that special about me. But maybe all the things I couldn't do didn't really matter.

Allura had helped me realize that sometime all that was important was not giving up. Maybe I am a goofball, but I'm a goofball that will never turn his back on his friends. I can't fix a particle barrier, I can't build a Galra finder, and I definitely can't negotiate an Alliance between a bunch of alien planets. But I'd take whatever the universe threw at me if it meant protecting the people I cared matter what Dikade came up with, _that_ wasn't going to change.

"Where are the Lions?"

I had a feeling that one would be high up on his question list, so I'd been prepared with a totally accurate answer. "Normally they stay in the Castle."

"Where is the Castle?" Dikade clarified. I wasn't sure if he knew I was stalling or really thought I didn't understand what he was asking.

"It's a spaceship," I reminded him, "so it can, you know, move."

At that point, he definitely knew I was stalling. "What was its location the last time you saw it?" he growled.

I took a deep breath. I obviously wasn't going to tell him what I knew, and I couldn't give him the name of some other real place either. If he believed me they'd dispatch a fleet to wherever I said, and when Voltron was nowhere to be found they'd make anyone in the area suffer for my lie. But making up a convincing fake name on the spot is hard. Fortunately a name from a really old earth movie I'd seen as a kid popped into my mind.

"Alderaan," I told them. "When I left they were at Alderaan."

"I'm unfamiliar with that world," Dickade said.

I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could. "I'm not surprised."

"If you are attempting to deceive me, I will be forced to reconsider our arrangement." He looked towards the shorter Galra. "Confirm the presence of Alderaan in the navigation database."

The other officer nodded sharply and opened the door. Before exiting he brought his fist to his chest. "Vrepit sa!"

Dikade turned back to me as the door closed. "You should hope his search is successful."

"Yeah," I agreed, knowing that it was going to suck when Dikade's officer came up empty handed.

Dikade leaned over me. "What are you doing in the Necrosis Nebula?"

I couldn't think of a reason not to answer that one honestly. "I was on my way back from a Vostoth," I said. "I thought I could save time cutting through the Nebula."

The Commander grinned smugly. "A foolish risk to take."

I crossed my arm and raised an eyebrow. "That's kinda my thing."

"Why were you in a Galra ship?"

That was a good question and it took me a tick to think of a good answer. "I, uh, thought it was better to not be noticed. You know, travelling in-burrito."

"In-burrito?" Dikade asked.

"Guess it's an Earth expression. Means unnoticed. When you show up in a Lion everyone knows who you are. Galra ships don't draw as much attention. Truth is, most people try to avoid them."

That last sentence seemed to make Dikade happy. "As they should." Any hint of amusement disappeared. "How did it get damaged?"

"Spatial anomaly," I spat out.

I could tell from his eyes he wasn't buying that answer. He put one of his big, clawed hands under my chin and tilted my head up towards him. "My engineer has already determined the damage was caused by laser fire."

I swallowed. "OK, I, uh…" I thought back to the crashed sentry ship on the planetoid. "I had a little run in with another Galra ship. I just… wasn't sure how you'd take that, you know."

To my surprise, he removed his hand. "The pilot was obviously weak and deserving of his fate."

I exhaled a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"Victory or death," Dikade explained. "I thank you for cutting out our weakness."

That was about the most twisted thing he could have said. "Uh… sure…"

The Galra frowned. "You do not understand."

I understood alright. I just thought it was evil. "We just, like, if someone isn't good enough, we try to make them better or find something else for them to do. Not let them die."

"Such sympathy allows them and their progeny to become a cancer. Compassion is an affliction of many races, which is why the Galra will triumph."

"If you don't all kill each other first," I said.

"There will always be Galra strong enough to ensure our supremacy."

The door reopened and the shorter Galra reentered. I braced myself for what I knew was coming.

"We have been unable to locate any reference to the specified planet. I crossed checked multiple dialects and possible spellings."

Dikade nodded. "Then we will proceed as we discussed. He turned back to me. Those yellow eyes suddenly looked a lot scarier. My heart was definitely beating faster now.

"Look man—I'm _not_ responsible for your lousy nav charts," I said.

The tall Galra's took a step closer. "I warned you that deception would not be tolerated."

I looked up at him, the fright giving way to anger. "It's all you're gonna get."

"As you have noticed this is not a combat vessel," Dikade said in a calm and creepy voice. "It is not equipped to process prisoners. This room is a storage bay, not a cell. Your attire is from our medical bay. And we lack the traditional interrogation tools found on a larger vessel." That cruel grin came back. "It is most fortunate, for it allows me to be creative."

"Creative is good. Like drawing and stuff? One of my brothers is a pretty sick artist." Like, I was pretty sure that had nothing to do with what he was saying, but you can always hope.

"The talents and ailments of you family do no concern me." Without warning he grabbed my forearm, moving so quickly I didn't have a chance to react. Not that it would have mattered.

I shrieked as his claws tore through my skin. A kind of loud, high-pitched shriek that I was really glad Allura and Keith weren't around to hear. Honestly it made me feel weak: I'd seen the others endure for more pain and even the zior bite had been worse. But the surprise, the pain, and the fear all kind of came together and I found I just couldn't resist the urge to yell. After few ticks I got control of myself again, but I was still disgusted with myself for giving him the satisfaction of a scream.

I looked away from my arm. As a kid Veronica had told me injections hurt less when you don't look at them. I never really knew if it was true, but I'd always followed her advice. It would have been funny if things weren't so serious: here I was, millions of miles from home being interrogated on an alien spaceship and thinking of what my sister used to tell a kid that was afraid of needles.

It actually didn't hurt as much as I expected. Maybe I was getting used to pain. Maybe Veronica was right about not looking. Maybe just thinking of her had made me feel better. Still, the feeling of warm blood flowing over my skin made me cringe.

"I will employ the techniques I use to discipline _my_ soldiers," he snarled. With his free hand he grabbed my chin and forced me to face him. "I look forward to seeing how they are tolerated by a human body."

"Dude, I get why you're upset," I said, my voice sounding strange between the pain and the big Galra hand squeezing my jaw, "but can't we just talk this out?"

"We will continue our discussion soon enough," Dikade assured me." He looked back at the other Galra. "Is the serum ready?"

"Yes, Commander. I suggest a half dose until we can gauge its effect on the subject. Such a frail creature may not tolerate what a Galra can."

"If he is meant to survive he will. Give him a full dose."

"Yes, Commander." The shorter Galra stepped towards me, a nasty looking syringe in his hand. Dikade tightened his grip on my arm, holding it painfully in place as his subordinate jammed in the big needle.

"Monitor his progress," Dikade instructed. "Notify me when the serum has taken affect."

* * *

A/N:

So we know VLD is set in the future, though not exactly how far (World War III is mentioned so I'm guessing more than a couple years). Still, I figured there was a reasonable chance a kid interested in joining as space exploration would have seen a movie as iconic as Star Wars (it's still a massive franchise after four decades, it seems reasonable to assume it will be around for a while more). Regardless, it's more fun than trying to invent my own "more modern" movie.

As always, thank you so much for your continued support! I hope you enjoyed, and sincerely appreciate you taking the time to read. Your faves, follows, and reviews are all beyond awesome! Thanks again!


	23. Try to Tear Me Down

**Try to Tear Me Down**

I had sort of expected the Galra serum to burn or something, but it didn't seem to do mcuh right away. I just sat there with Dikade's henchman silently staring at me. I tried to talk to him a couple times but he just ignored me, so eventually I gave up. After a while I just started to feel out of it, almost like I was getting drunk.

Not that I, you know, had that much experience with drinking. I mean, yeah, everyone knows I'm a bit of a party guy, but I was never dumb enough to dome something stupid enough to get me kicked out Galaxy Garrison. In trouble, sure, but not kicked out. Mostly I'd just tried stuff my grandfather had given us at special events and stuff. Whatever this was it felt similar, almost relaxing. If this was the full dose it made me wonder if Galra could, well, hold their booze. I was sort of tempted to just kind of enjoy it and zone out, but I knew I had to try and stay focused.

The doors slid open and Dikade entered. I looked up at him and squinted, trying to look as alert as I could. The tall Galra placed a frightening looking metal case on the floor, then silently looked at me for a few ticks. He then turned to the other officer. "Has the serum taken effect?"

"I believe so, sir. But I must remind you: ragrex is designed to lower inhibition and resistance to questioning in Galra," the shorter Galra said. "Exactly how it will effect a human is unknown."

Dikade turned back to me and flashed a nasty-looking grin. "How do you feel?"

"Incredibly good looking." That answer probably had something to do with what the serum was doing to my brain. Not that it wasn't true.

Dikade scowled. "Your insolence will not be tolerated."

I pointed at him. "Look, dude, I'm not telling you nothing… other than your life is really going to suck if you don't let me go."

"Perhaps your threats would have concerned me, but I now know I cannot trust you."

"That sucks… makes it harder to, you know, lie to you."

Dikade slapped my face. "Oww!" Thankfully his claws didn't dig in, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

"This will hurt," he assured me. "If you cooperate, it will hurt less." He opened the metal case. To my surprise, he held up my bayard. "This device was found in your ship. What is it?"

"My bayard," I said before even really thinking about it. The serum may not have been doing exactly what Dikade wanted, but it was messing with me enough.

"The weapon of the Paladin," Diakde said quietly. "We have been unable to activate it. How do you turn it on?"

I shrugged. "It's a sucker for a good pick-up line."

The yellow eyes narrowed. "Explain."

I actually smiled a bit. It was sort of fun confusing Dikade, even though I knew I was probably going to get beat up for it. Maybe it was the serum talking, but it didn't seem like the worst tradeoff. Plus, I guess deep down, I knew I was going to get beat up anyway. "You know, like 'You must be a broom, 'cause you swept me off your feet' or 'we must be magnets, cause I feelin' the attraction attraction.'"

He reached out and grabbed my throat. His grip tightened, and I started to gag. I'd pushed him as far as I could: the pain was coming.

Suddenly another Galra entered the room. "Commander Dikade, we have a message from the Altean ship."

The Commander spun around, though his hand remained on my neck. "It is unwise to interrupt me, Lieutenant Thuk. Tell Krankor I will contact him shortly."

Thuk hesitated for a second, looking like he wasn't sure if he should simply leave or try and explain why he was bothering his boss. "Sir, it's not from Krankor."

Dikade hissed, released my throat, and turned to the officer who had injected me. "Put the transmission through."

A display on the wall illuminated, showing a picture of a serious looking Allura with Keith standing immediately behind her. "This is Princess Allura of Voltron." I felt a wave of excitement as soon as I heard her voice. "My team has taken control of the _Cestova_. I demand that you return our crew member and leave the area immediately."

Dikade grabbed some kind of microphone from the wall and started to speak into it with about as much snarkiness as I'd ever heard from anyone. "Princess Allura, _if_ you managed to overcome my boarding party you still have an ancient a crippled ship. You are in no position to make demands."

"You know the tactical capabilities of this vessel," Allura said firmly. "Even with minimal weapons we are more than match for you."

"You know its power," Keith added. "Otherwise you wouldn't be here."

The Galra grinned. "If you attack us you risk killing your Paladin. I think not. Altean's have no concept of sacrifice, and it makes you weak."

"You understand nothing of Alteans," Allura snapped.

"I do not need to. Alteans are no longer relevant. You are the last remnants of an extinct civilization. A weak and inconsequential race felled by the might of the Galra Empire."

There was a long pause, and I could fire raging in Allura's eyes. "I want to know the status of the Paladin."

"He is alive and minimally injured. That can change quickly."

"If you hurt him—"

"This is not a negotiation," Dikade cut her off. "If you attack my ship, he dies. If you attempt to leave with the Altean vessel, he dies. If you relinquish control of the vessel willingly, I will consider allowing those aboard the Altean ship to leave. The Paladin will remain my prisoner."

"You really think we'd agree to that?" Keith asked.

"I don't expect you to have a choice. Once my reinforcements arrive I will retake the Altean ship by force and kill you all. It is _your_ choice; I urge you to decide quickly. Your Paladin has already used up the majority of my patience." Somehow I'm being tortured yet I'm still getting blamed for stuff. Dikade hit a button that I assumed cut off the transmission.

"We are not scheduled to receive reinforcements," Thuk said. "Unless you plan to contact Commander Morvok."

"There is no need to contact Morvok… unless your men unable to overpower a group led by an Altean female?" The last two words were dripping with disgust. If only he knew Allura like I did. I had a feeling he was going to get a lesson.

"Without knowing…" Thuk trailed off when he realized that wasn't the right answer. At least not for his commander. "No sir, I am confident my troops. But why mention reinforcements?"

"It serves to confuse our adversary," Diakde explained. "She will not anticipate an attack until after another ship arrives."

"A wise deception," Thuk said, though I it didn't sound like it was a super genuine compliment. "However, as an Altean she may be able to reactivate internal defense systems. That would present and additional challenge."

"Her team must be formidable to defeat Krankor's," the other Galra observed.

"Victory, or death," Dikade reminded his officers. The way he said it made it sound more like a threat than a slogan. It also meant any discussion was over. The commander turned back to me, his creepy yellow eyes boring into my face. "And you will tell me everything I need to ensure victory."

* * *

AN: So I'll be honest… the serum was originally going to be a bit more potent, but since this is a first person story it's kind of hard to write if Lance is too out of it to remember what happened… thus stuff was dialed back a bit. So I just made the assumption that whatever Dikade happened to have on hand wasn't as rough on humans as Galra. Hopefully it was enjoyable!

As always, thank you so much for your view, follows, faves, and especially reviews!


	24. The Light of the Dark Black Night

**The Light of the Dark Black Night**

At first the commander had been content with some slapping and punching. That sucked, but it was really just a few bruises and a bloody lip. Now, though, he was moving onto much nastier stuff. I knew it was just a matter of time until he started doing things that would be permanent.

Dikade tightened his grip on my right thigh, and I could feel the claws digging into my flesh. He kept twisting them around so the pain wouldn't let up. "One more time. How many troops are on the Altean ship?"

"I've never been super good at math," I spat out.

"I want an answer!"

"We don't always—"I shuddered as I felt a fresh wave of pain—"get what we want."

"Now!" His claws dug in even further, and I started to wonder if he had reached the bone. I hissed in pain through clenched teeth, which made him smile. "You will tell me what I want to know. How… many… troops?!"

He twisted those stupid Galra talons again, and tears started to form in my eyes. For a few ticks I thought I was going to puke. It was a really crappy feeling, but I wasn't giving in. "Enough to beat your guys," I said. My words were strained and weird sounding. Even to me it didn't really sound like my voice anymore.

Dikade leaned forward. "You are foolish and arrogant."

I stared back at him, trying to ignore the pain in my leg and gave him a line I'd use _a lot_ in school. "I've been called worse things by better people."

Dikade slowly removed his claws from my flesh and the pain was bad enough that I started to feel dizzy. If I wasn't sitting down I think I would of fallen over. The Galra put his red-stained hand in front of my face, slowly moving it around like he was taking some kind of super perverted joy in showing me my own blood dripping off his fingers. I swallowed in an effort to keep from throwing up.

"This is only the start," Dikade said quietly in a way that made a shiver run down my spine. "I will tear you apart piece by piece, taking everything but what you need to survive until there is only a quivering, conscious mass of bloody and necrotic flesh remaining. A sentient corpse condemned to endure the most terrible agony. Forced to watch as everything you suffered to protect is destroyed. As I seek out, torture, and kill your family and anyone you care about. And only then will I let you die."

I wish I could say I wasn't scared. But I was terrified. I wish I could say I had some witty comeback. But I was speechless. The Galra's words chilled me to the bone. I couldn't help but think about Shiro's missing arm, but I had a feeling Dikade wouldn't be replacing my arm with anything when he cut it off. The psycho would do the bare minimum to make sure I didn't bleed out… so I'd feel it when he cut off the other arm.

As hard as I was trying to cling to hope of a rescue… if they didn't figure out something soon, there might not be much of me left _to_ rescue.

"There are matters that require my attention," Dikade said as he turned away from me. He looked back over his shoulder, eyes narrowing. "When I return you will have a final chance to cooperate. I trust you understand the consequences of opposing me." He turned to Thuk. "Keep watch on the prisoner. I doubt his friends would be foolish enough to attempt a rescue now, but I'm not willing to take chances. The rest of you, with me."

Moments later the door slid shut, leaving me alone with Thuk. The Galra stared at me for a moment, then began doing something with the console. For a few dobashes I just sat there, pondering the possible futures. I still believed that good would eventually triumph, but I guess I was starting to realize just how much winning this war would cost. And that I might not be able to be there for them when they needed me.

Or at all.

Then, I had an idea.

It wasn't a great idea… but that's never stopped me before. It was also ferociously risky. And I really, really hoped it wouldn't screw up whatever Allura was planning. But it might get me some more time, and with Dikade getting ready to dismember me that wasn't a bad thing.

"Yo… Thuk."

The Galra twitched, but didn't look at me.

"You know your boss is heading down a bad road," I told him.

The Galra turned slowly towards me, almost like he was debating if he should talk to me. "Dikade is in command," Thuk replied firmly. "It is his prerogative."

"But isn't Morvok _his_ commander?" I asked. I had no idea if things would be better with that turd than with Dikade, but they couldn't be any worse. "If things are getting out of hand, shouldn't he be the one calling the shots?"

"The Vice Commander has made it clear he does not require Commander Morvok's support."

"Look, dude, I can tell you're not happy about his decisions. It's not like some big secret."

The Galra Lieutenant's head snapped around again. "Dikade is in charge," he repeated. "He is my commander and I have pledged my loyalty to him. I will not discuss this further with an inferior species."

"I get loyalty… I really do." I mean, I didn't get being loyal to something as screwed up as the Galra Empire, but I got loyalty. I jerked my head towards my still bleeding leg, then looked straight into his yellow eyes. "We both have things we're willing to die for," I said quietly. "Is this yours?"

Thuk just stood there for a few ticks, looking at me funny. "Victory, or death," he said at last, but his voice was quiet and almost thoughtful sounding. Not something

"I… get that… I guess. But shouldn't you, like, check out other options for victory before you just follow Dikade to death?"

"Dikade has failed to follow instructions from his commander," the Galra admitted.

"So call up Morvok. Tell him what's happening."

Thuk turned away from me. After several ticks he said, "If this is to work, Dikade must be removed from command. Otherwise both of us would suffer greatly."

Truth was I was already suffering greatly. "Won't Morvok do that though? The guy's been lying to him. Or at least hiding stuff from him."

The Galra faced me again. "It is possible Dikade could explain his actions in a manner that pleases Morvok."

"Yeah… I was kind of a champion BS-er back home." I've gotten out of speeding tickets, tests, going to my sister's recitals, about six weeks of school, all sorts of stuff. "But it's worth the risk, isn't it?"

Thuk seemed to think about that for a tick. "Yes, it is… for me. Morvok will not simply free you, however. Not without something of equal value in return." The yellow eyes narrowed. "Are you prepared to provide such a thing?"

For a moment I thought about making some grand promise about how I could talk Allura into giving them the _Cestova_ or something, or that I'd tell Morvok secrets about Voltron. But I couldn't. Even though it might help things for the moment, it wouldn't last. When the deal fell through Morvok would be pissed, and that could only make things crappier for me. Worse, it could make things tougher for Allura and Keith. I was already hoping I wasn't putting them into a bind, but I was pretty sure Morvok couldn't be any worse than Dikade.

Also, as strange as it felt, I didn't want to throw Thuk under the launch crawler. The guy was a Galra officer, but at least in some small way he was trusting me. He was the closest thing to an ally I had at the moment. An ally that I knew would totally kill me if he had a reason to, sort of like the ultimate frienemy. But I wasn't in a position to be choosy.

"As long as I'm OK," I told him, "my people will be willing to talk. I can't promise anything more than that."

Thuk's reply surprised me. "I would not expect you to. After what you have endured, I would not trust a commitment to betray your allies."

The Galra turned back to his console and tapped three or four buttons. "The message has been sent to Morvok's ship."

I blinked and shook my head. That seemed way too fast. "Just like that? I… didn't you need to, like, write it or..."

"I had already prepared the report," Thuk explained. "I simply hadn't decided if I should transmit it. Your argument was persuasive."

"Not bad for an inferior species, huh?"

* * *

AN: I think a few of you knew the direction this chapter was heading, but hopefully there were still some fun twists for everyone!

Thank you for taking the time to read. Your views, follows, faves, and reviews are all sincerely appreciated!


	25. My Body's Aching and My Time is at Hand

**My Body's Aching and My Time is at Hand**

There had been no reply to Thuk's message when Dikade returned. The tall Galra was flanked by a pair of sentries. He nodded at Thuk as he entered, then turned to me.

"I hope you enjoyed your respite," he said, though he obviously didn't mean it.

To be fair, not be tortured was definitely better than being tortured. Even though I still hurt in a lot of places, the varga or so he'd been away had at least let me get used to it. Plus my little talk with Thuk had given me some fresh hope.

"I enjoy anytime you're not around."

For a second I thought he was going to hit me, but instead he just smiled a little. "If you fail to cooperate, it will be the last such relaxation you experience for a… very long time."

"I'll deal."

"My troops are nearly ready to assault the Altean ship," Dikade said.

"That's not a good idea," I warned.

"So you insist. Yet you provide no evidence." He slowly dropped to his knees, bringing those big yellow eyes level with mine. "Make no mistake, I _will_ take that ship. I have been overseeing preparations personally." That explained his sudden disappearance. I had a feeling the little break hadn't been for my benefit. "If you help me to formulate a battle strategy, I can, perhaps, minimize the bloodshed."

I knew he thought humans were soft, and I might not be the brightest tool in the drawer, but did he really think I was going to fall for that? "If you cared about bloodshed you'd be negotiating with Allura right now."

"Negotiation with her is pointless. She will never surrender the ship willingly."

"Maybe not, but that's not the thing that matters here. There might still be Galra on that ship that need you. I mean, she would try to help them, but if they are really injured…"

"Their failures seal their fates," Dikade said. He stood up. "Suffering is the price of their incompetence."

"That's just wrong dude," I told him, knowing he didn't care. "When our guys need us or are hurting, we help them... We're all about hurting people." I closed my eyes and shook my head. That didn't sound the way I thought it would. "What I mean is we're, like, always there for each other."

"I have given you an opportunity to protect them."

"No, you're asking me to help you catch and torture them. Totally different thing dude."

Dikade smirked. "So you will not answer my questions?"

"Actually," I said, sitting up straight, "I wanted to know when you will answer _mine_. Relationships need to go both ways."

The Vice Commander grabbed my right arm in one hand, letting his claws dig into my skin. With his other hand he grasped my right pinky finger and violently twisted backwards. There was a loud crack along with a ton of pain. I couldn't help but yell, but this time I got out some words too. Directed at him. Having to do with his mother.

"Our relationship is more like your joint," he observed. "If things do not go in the direction nature intends, pain ensues." More like messed up and painful.

The Commander let go of my arm and I brought it to my chest. There wasn't much I could do about the throbbing pain, but the warmth seemed to help a bit. "You'll pay for this," I growled, though it probably didn't come out as intimidating as I'd wanted. I was breathing really heavy, my voice sounded strange, and it didn't help that I think I was crying just a little bit too.

He chuckled. At least I think that's what the noise was. "You're a child who decided to play war. Do you really think your threats frighten me?"

It took all my energy just to lift my head enough to look at him. I opened my mouth to tell him I didn't care what he thought, but no sound came out.

The Galra punched me in the face, and I felt another sharp crack followed by the sensation of blood dripping from my nose. I felt suddenly dizzy and my vision was getting watery. I wasn't sure how much more I could take.

"Where is Voltron?" Dikade asked. Without warning he grabbed my hand again and started slowly bending my ring finger. I could feel the muscles and stuff stretching and tearing. Finally something snapped—I wasn't sure if it was a joint or a bone-and I felt another jolt of pain run through my whole body. I lost the battle to keep from puking and started coughing up nasty stuff. I hadn't eaten since Vostoh, but that didn't stop me from retching all over myself.

"How many troops does Allura have?"

I let my head drop and closed my eyes. I wouldn't give in… I couldn't. I tried to think of anything but the Galra and the pain and the nasty taste of puke in my mouth, but it just made things worse. But every time I pictured home I couldn't help but see Galra ships hovering over the beach.

I heard Dikade's voice again, but I was stuck in my own thoughts now. What had started as a few tears was now sobs mixed with coughs. I couldn't help it. Tears and blood and sweat all got into my eyes and they stung like crazy no matter how tightly I held them shut. My chest ached in a way that had nothing to do with all the dry heaves and stuff.

I felt a furry hand grab my neck, but it didn't really register. I kept thinking of my friends and my family and all the terrible things that would happen to them…

I wasn't going to give him anything he could use, but that wasn't what scared me the most. I was terrified by idea that everyone I ever cared about was going to suffer, and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Dead or crippled and imprisoned… it didn't really matter. It all meant that I wouldn't be there for them when they needed me.

"Vice Commander," Thuk said. "Commander Morvok is demanding to speak with you."

Dikade hesitated for a moment, then released my neck. I slumped down, exhausted, coughing, my throat feeling totally raw.

"I'll receive the message in my office," Dikade said.

"Sir, he… means immediately."

I finally opened my eyes and saw Dikade quickly wiping my blood off of his hands before grabbing the microphone I'd seen him use when talking to Allura.

It hurt, but I looked up just in time to see a funny looking Galra who I assumed was Morvok flickered onto the holoscreen. "You found the Altean ship."

If Dikade was nervous or angry, he wasn't showing it. "Commander, I—"

"And you have captured a Paladin of Voltron," Morvok cut him off.

"I have the situation in hand," Dikade assured his commander firmly. "I intended to notify you once the Altean ship was under our control."

"It _was_ under your control," Morvok said. "Then you lost control." His finger was pointing straight at Dikade. "To Voltron."

"A setback. But I assure you we will capture the vessel _and_ gain valuable intelligence about Voltron."

"Perhaps that is what you believe." Even though I could only see him from the chest up, I could tell he was waving his hands around as he talked. A lot. "However, _I_ have seen these Paladins in action. There forces are formidable. But, they value the preservation of life above all else. They _will_ negotiate to save their Paladin's life."

"If we simply retake the Altean ship, there will be no need to negotiate."

"And if you fail?" Morvok asked. "No," he said, waving his finger at pissed looking Dikade. "The mission was to secure the resources aboard the ship, not engage Voltron."

Dikade was obviously furious, his yellow eyes almost glowing in anger. "Capturing the Lions is a greater objective."

"Perhaps," Morvok said. "But it's not ours. I will not risk the success of this mission."

"Contact the high command and confirm our orders now that we have—"

"Since when do you care about orders?"

"I don't when they come from cowards!" Dikade snapped.

That really ticked off the Commander. "I've heard enough! You've ignored my orders, intentionally withheld information, and now you question my commitment to the Empire?" His eyes shifted to Thuk. "Lieutenant you are in command now. Confine that trash to his quarters."

"This is outrageous!" Dikade thundered, but a sentry was already pushing the former Commander towards the door. "Someone contacted Morvok," he hissed. "One of you betrayed me!"

"They did their duty," Morvok replied. "Something you did not. I will arrive in less than a Varga. Inform the Altean that I will speak with her shortly thereafter. And do not injure the prisoner further; he is our most valuable asset in the negotiations."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Moments before I was getting ready to experience life without all of my fingers, but the jerk that destroyed the Taujeerians' Ark pretty much saved me. At least for a bit. The universe is beyond weird sometimes.

One of the sentries was wrapping something around Dikade's wrists while the other opened the door. The former commander glared suspiciously at Thuk then looked at me with a scathing stare.

I was exhausted, and it took every ounce of energy I had just to look up at him. It hurt to move my lips, but I whispered to him as loud as I could: "Vrepit sa… dickweed."

* * *

AN: I didn't start out with this being quite so graphic, but I felt like it needed to be portrayed that way in order for him to be pushed to the edge. He's loyal and stronger than people give him credit for, so the story needed capture something that would be truly trying for him.

At least things are looking up now, and Lance got in a nice burn at the end!

I hope you enjoyed. Faves, follows, and reviews are all sincerely appreciated!


	26. All the Small Things

**All the Small Things**

Once Thuk was in charge, things got better. Morvok had ordered me cleaned up, and the ship's medic spent half a varga cleaning and bandaging my wounds. She also used a wet cloth to wipe the blood off my face, though she didn't seem interested in doing anything about my nose or fingers. I wasn't sure if she didn't know what to do, or just didn't care. Either way I was just glad that the bad stuff was over, at least for a while.

Thuk entered a while after the nurse left. "Commander Morvok's shuttle is on approach," he told me. He paused for a tick, like he was debating what to say. "You spoke to Dikade in a very cavalier manner. I would suggest you avoid such an approach with the Commander."

"I get it," I said. Thuk was actually giving me advice. I wasn't sure if he actually cared about me or just figured if I was cooperative it would make him look good. I guess I'd just need to see what happened. "No promises though."

"The Commander is particularly sensitive about his size," Thuk said. "I suggest you avoid the topic."

I scrunched up my eyebrows a bit but it hurt my nose so I stopped. "His size?"

"He… is not considered to be physically well endowed amongst the Galra."

Even though it hurt, I laughed. "Wha-wha-why would you even know that?"

Thuk looked confused. "It's obvious to all who see him."

I stared at him for a tick, then asked, "Dude never wears pants?"

The Galra shook his head. "I do not understand what that has to do with his height?"

"Oh, his… yeah, you see, to someone from Earth, that's totally not what well-endowed means. At least not to someone, ya know, my age."

"Words have different meaning to those of different ages on your world?"

"Well, not really, but sort of. Like, I get what you said might mean like muscles or tall to some people, but other people are going to think it means—"

"Commander Morvok's shuttle has docked," the intercom interrupted. "Ralik is escorting him to you now, sir."

Thuk picked up the microphone. "Understood." He put down the mic and looked back at me. "Your fate now rests with Morvok. Do not forget that." Maybe he really did care.

A few ticks later the door opened, and two Galra entered. One of them was shortest Galra I'd ever seen walked in. Like a bit less than two thirds Thuk's height, and maybe half as tall as Dikade, but still about the same width.

"I am Commander Morvok of the Galra Empire," he introduced himself in a voice that seemed way to pompous for someone so small.

I knew what Thuk had told me, but I couldn't help myself. "Your right… It's like a talking purple hamster."

"A hamster is a fearsome predator on the Paladin's homeworld," Thuk said quickly. "Respected and feared."

"Ah, I appreciate the compliment," Morvok said. "It shows that you understand your place."

I tried my best not to smile. I think I mostly succeeded. "Yeah, sure… whatever."

The Morvok turned to Thuk. "Have Dikade transferred to my cruiser. I will deal with him when this mission is complete."

"Yes, sir."

"You are in command of this vessel for now," Morvok continued. "Impress me, and I will make the promotion permanent."

Thuk nodded. "You will not be disappointed, commander."

Morvok looked back at me. "My instructions are to bring back the Altean vessel. If you can convince your friends to turn it over, you will all be free to go."

It was a better deal than Dikade was willing to make, not that it was going to happen. But the fact he was willing to let me go made one thing clear. I smiled as much as I could without it hurting too bad. "You just don't want to tangle with Voltron."

The little Galra put his hand to his face and thought for a moment. "A fight serves neither of our interests. My job is to get these resources back to the High Command as quickly as possible. I don't need Voltron slowing me down."

"Voltron can do more than slow you down," I said. "Or did you forget Taujeer?" That probably wasn't the best thing to bring up, but it wasn't like it was the first time I talked without thinking.

"If I recall correctly," Morvok said, "forming Voltron takes _five_ Paladins. As long as you are here, I have nothing to worry about."

My eyes narrowed. "They don't need me to—" I stopped. I was pretty sure Red would be willing to work with Keith if it came down to it, especially if it meant saving me. Plus, to be honest, I don't think the bond ever totally goes away. But that wasn't something Morvok needed to know, or something I really felt like explaining. And as much as I wanted to put shorty in his place, I knew making threats wasn't going to help anyone. At least not at the moment. I took a deep breath, at least, as deep as I could without making my chest ache too much. "Look, the important thing right now is everybody would rather talk than fight."

"Yes," Morvok agreed. "The faster we can conclude our business the better." He turned to Thuk. "If we return on schedule there is no need for the High Command to even know about this unexpected visitor."

Wow. It was secrets upon secrets with this bunch. I wondered how the Galra ever got anything done. First Dikade wanted to steal Morvok's glory, and now Morvok didn't want anyone to know he'd caught a Paladin but decided to let him go rather than risk facing Voltron. I wasn't sure if he was smart enough to know he'd get smacked down or just scared, but it was good news for me either way. He really wanted peaceful way out of this.

"We contacted the Altean as you requested," Thuk said. "She has agreed to speak with you at your earlies convenience. Her only precondition is that she speak with the Paladin to confirm his status."

"Exactly as I expected," Morvok said proudly. "You see," he continued, waving a hand at Thuk, "the key to success is understanding your opponent." He motioned towards me. "Even before negotiations began, the Altean has shown how important he is to her. I will never understand why, but I intend to use her infatuation against her."

My eyes went wide and my cheeks felt warm. "I mean, ya know, she likes me, but I wouldn't say like likes me… Of course if—"

"Call it what you will," Morvok interrupted, turning back to me. He poked a stubby finger painfully against my chest. I don't think he was trying to hurt me, but I was still sore. "What matters is you have value."

"My mom says that too." Of course, I didn't think Morvok meant it in the same way she did.

"Should I contact the Altean?" Thuk suggested.

Morvok looked at Thuk and raised a hand. "Not just yet." His focus returned to me. "I want to make sure we understand each other. I have no problem letting all of you go, but I require what I came for."

I nodded. "Yeah, I got that."

"I want you to ensure that happens."

I started to shake my head but stopped because it was painful. "I'm not really sure who you think you caught, but I'm not in charge. I can't tell them to do anything."

"That would be unfortunate," Morvok said. He folded his arms over his chest. "If I don't get what _I_ value, they'll never see what _they_ value again."

* * *

A/N: After the last chapter, I felt like it was time for something more fun. After all, Lance needs a break, and let's face it: Morvok deserves whatever he gets!

Apologies to anyone who doesn't appreciate innuendo, but I'm writing this from the viewpoint of an 18 year old ;).

As always, thank you for the support! I'm consistently amazed by how many people take the time read! Your faves, follows, and especially reviews mean the world!


	27. Let's Not Do the Wrong Thing

**Let's Not Do the Wrong Thing**

"Seriously dude: you gotta lay off the threats if you want my help." Maybe it wasn't smart to risk antagonizing him, but I had a gut feeling that he really did want to get out of this without a fight. And I'd seen a lot of movies where the bad guy took a hostage, so I knew that if they don't like to kill the hostage because it makes it really hard to bargain. I knew this wasn't a movie, but I was pretty sure that whole concept still checked out OK in the real world.

Plus, honestly, the whole purple teddy-bear look was way less scary than Dikade had been.

"If negotiations are successful, you have nothing to worry about," Morvok assured me.

"And you don't either," I reminded him. "I know it's a Galra thing to act all powerful and scary, but lets be honest. I know you can screw up my day, and you know my friends can screw up yours. Bringing that up over and over ain't going to help you win over Allura."

"Very well," Morvok said. He held out a finger. "At least for now. But rest assured, I will remind them of what I'm capable of if needed."

I shrugged. "Sure. You do you."

Morvok turned to Thuk. "Contact the Altean ship."

Thuk moved to the wall-mounted panel. "Do you require audio and video for you and the prisoner?"

"Yes," Morvok said. "But be ready to cut the transmission if needed."

"Of course, sir." Thuk entered a few more commands. "Hailing the other ship… they are responding.

The holo-screen flickered on, but this time it was just Keith. He looked like he normally does: kind of out there, not really caring, and with no real emotion showing. I guess I thought in this situation he might be, like, different, but apparently not. He'd changed out of the Blade outfit into something that was, well, less of a middle finger to the Galra.

"I am Commander Morvok of the Galra Empire," the little Galra announced, holding his right hand to his chest just in case anyone was confused who he was talking about. "I am prepared to negotiate for the Paladin's release."

"Are you OK?" Keith asked, ignoring the pompous little Galra.

"I've been better," I said honestly. Even though the nurse had cleaned off the blood I had a feeling he could tell I'd been roughed up pretty good.

Morvok stepped directly between me and the screen. "You will address me."

I could only imagine Keith's expression. He wasn't big on people told what to do, especially not by a self-important Galra that looked like he should be living under a bridge. "Sure," I heard him say in a familiar sarcastic tone. "Morvok: get out of the way and let me talk to Lance."

"I allowed you to see that the prisoner is alive and alert. Now we discuss terms."

"I will discuss terms when I am satisfied you can deliver on your promises," Keith said. "If you have permanently injured him, he is of no use to us."

I cringed a little. That must have been some kind of tactic he and Allura had come up with. Some way of making it sound like they weren't desperate, or maybe to make sure he didn't hurt me more. I mean I knew they wanted me back even if I couldn't fly a Lion anymore. Right?

"He will recover from his injuries," Morvok assured Keith. "Assuming we come to an agreement," he added after a tick.

"I don't like threats from Galra puppets," Keith said with a bit of that angry edge of his.

"I am no _puppet_ ," Morvok snapped. "Your own Paladin has said I am as fearsome as a hamster."

"A hamster?" Keith asked, sounding confused.

"Just go with him on this," I said quickly, hoping Keith could still hear me. I wasn't sure, but Morvok seemed like the kind of dude who would be easier to work with if he got a _little_ win up front. "I'll be fine."

"You should listen to your Paladin," Morvok added smugly.

There were a few moments of silence. I could only see the little Galra's back, but it was easy to imagine him and Keith having a fairly epic stare-down. After all, one of them was super stubborn… and the other was Galra Commander.

"Fine," Keith huffed. "Come to our ship to conduct negotiations. The Paladin must be with you."

"Do you think I'm a fool?" Morvok asked.

"No comment."

"You are not in a position to make demands," the little Galra said angrily. "I have my personal cruise holding position outside the nebula, and can have a fleet here in a matter of vargas." So much for no threats.

"They gave you another cruiser," Keith said dryly. "Sorry about the last one."

Morvok was quiet for a few long ticks, and I got ready for an outburst. But the little dude surprised me. "Very well, I will agree to your _request_. But any attempt at deception will be dealt with. _Harshly_." It was another threat, but like a sort of polite threat.

Keith responded pretty much how'd I expected: "Likewise."

"You will be notified when to prepare for our delegation's arrival," Morvok replied. He nodded towards Thuk who cut the transmission. The little guy looked at the Galra he'd arrived with. "Prepare a shuttle."

The officer nodded, said "Vrepit sa," and headed to the door.

"They may attempt to flee as soon as they have the prisoner onboard," Thuk said.

"That may be their plan," Morvok said quietly, like he was still thinking. "Have your ship's medical crew come up with some kind of restraint for the prisoner. Something capable of administering a fatal shock or lethal chemical, and have it linked to your bio-signs. That way, if anything happens to you, the Paladin dies."

Thuk looked confused for a tick, then his big yellow eyes narrowed a bit. "My bio-signs, commander?"

"I am a high-ranking officer," Morvok said proudly. "My capture would be a seriously blow to the Empire." Somehow I doubted that, but I stayed quiet. "It would be foolish to risk me becoming a hostage."

"Understood sir. But-" Thuk stopped when Morvok raised a finger.

"Note I chose my words carefully. I never suggested I would lead the delegation myself. You will go to the Altean ship and negotiate on my behalf. Your value as a hostage is minimal."

Thuk nodded, but he didn't look happy. "Of course, sir."

The little Galra glanced around the room once, then back at Thuk. "Prepare your prisoner and notify me when you are ready to depart." He motioned to the others in the room and headed towards the door. Moments later I was alone with Thuk again.

"Sounds like its best if we both stay alive, huh?" I said hopefully.

"The device does not work that way," he replied. "Your death will not result in mine."

"Don't be so sure," I said quietly. Keith and Allura weren't going to let Thuk just walk out of there if something happened to me.

Thuk grabbed my left hand, which was good, because I probably would've passed out if he grabbed my right hand. He scanned it with something. "I'm sending data to the medical bay," he explained. "They will fabricate a suitable device."

I had a feeling Thuk and I were totally not in agreement about what 'sutiable' meant, but I ignored that for the moment. "Dikade was right about one thing. Morvok _is_ kind of a coward."

"The Commander is being prudent. He would be a valuable hostage."

"Somehow I doubt he's _that_ big of a deal."

Thuk took a few ticks before answering. "Many Galra commanders are a little self-important."

I shrugged. "Maybe… most of the ones I've met are tall and self-important."

* * *

AN: As always, thank you for your support. Faves and follows are all sincerely appreciated, and I always look forward to reading reviews!


	28. A Message in the Fear and Pain

**A Message in the Fear and Pain**

Thuk's shuttle left the Galra ship about a varga later. Thuk was joined by a second Galra, the one that I think was named Ralik, as well as two sentries, so technically they outnumbered us. Of course, they didn't know that. Plus I had no doubt that either Keith or Allura could take down all four of them single handed.

The bigger problem was the little thing they had put on my wrist. Morvok had promised it would pump out enough voltage to kill me in a few ticks. It was also probably the ugliest wristband ever made, looking like it had been put together out of a bunch of parts they had lying around and then bent to fit my arm. It was already chaffing me, but I decided I could live with that. Compared to what I'd been through some irritated skin didn't seem so bad.

As we got close to _Cestova_ the shuttle turned to dock and I got my second view of the Altean ship. If anything it looked more beautiful than it had before. Altean design seemed to combine art and function in a way that made even powerful war machines look beautiful.

The shuttle docked with a clunk, and Thuk instructed Ralik to stay with the ship. The two sentries stood side by side behind me, pushing me toward the hatch without actually grabbing me.

Keith was alone in the hangar, standing like he was trying to look casual but wasn't able to pull it off. He nodded to me but didn't say anything.

Thuk took a few steps towards him and stopped. "I am Lieutenant Thuk of the Galra Empire. I have come to negotiate for the release of our prisoner on behalf of Commander Morvok."

Keith took a step closer to the Galra, looking him up and down. "I'm Keith."

"You should be aware," Thuk said, "the Paladin has been fitted with a device that will kill him should anything happen to me or if any attempt is made to remove it."

Keith's expression darkened and his mouth opened slightly, but he didn't say anything.

"I thought I'd be speaking with the Altean," Thuk said.

"My superiors felt I would be a more objective negotiator."

I frowned and gave Keith a look. _His Superiors?_ Had he been talking with Shiro? Or did he mean…

Apparently, Thuk had the same question. "Is the Altean not your superior?"

"I represent her," Keith admitted. "I also represent the Blade of Marmora."

I was confused and a little nervous. I thought the whole reason Keith had changed clothes and everything was to keep the Blade out of this. The Galra didn't really like anyone, but there was nobody they hated like the Blade of Marmora.

Thuk's expression became more tense. "I will not negotiate with traitors," Thuk said slowly. I cringed, wondering if he was going to just zap me and head back to his ship. "This is unacceptable."

"You should understand well," Keith told him. "The Altean's are humanitarians who value life. The Blade are Galra, who value results. If the Paladin is unable to resume his duties, they have no use for him."

I felt cold for a moment. That sure sounded like Blade of Marmora reasoning, but I'd thought Keith was still one of us at heart. And even if by some chance he actually meant what he was saying, there is no way Allura would've gone along with it. It had to be a plan, something to throw the Galra off.

Unless they'd found something important. Like a superweapon or the secret to countering Voltron. Something so valuable that they would give me up to keep it out of Galra hands. Not because they wanted to, but because they just didn't have a choice. That cold, tense feeling came back even worse.

"Why would the Blade select a human to represent them?" Thuk demanded.

"Would you trust a Galra?" Keith countered. "Someone who you consider a traitor to their own species?"

"If you _were_ Galra, I'd kill you where you stand." There were several tense ticks of silence as the two regarded each other. I wondered about Thuk's feelings on half-Galra. "You may inspect your Paladin," he said at last.

Keith quickly walked to me, his eyes flicking between the two sentries then to me. "Looks like the Universe has been rough on you," he said as he inspected my bandaged arm and broken fingers.

"I must've been hitting on its girlfriend or something," I told him.

"You would." I saw his lip twitch, like almost like something was bothering him but he didn't want to talk about it. He took a quick, short breath and then he did pretty much the last thing I expected. He grabbed one of my bruised fingers and twisted it. I gasped in pain and pulled my hand away from him.

"What the _hell_ Keith?"

"I need to see if it will heal," Keith said without any feeling.

"It's a _broken finger_!" I said, making it clear I wasn't happy. "It'll be fine unless you do stuff like _that_!"

"You can be such a wuss sometimes," Keith complained. "You wouldn't last a varga with the Blade."

"You can chill with the badass act, dude." I was still confused about exactly what was going on, and getting a bit angry too.

"When you learn to be tough," Keith replied.

"In case you forgot, I just had a wonderful little vacay at Club Galra," I reminded him.

Keith snorted. "This is war. Bad stuff happens." He reached towards my fingers again, but I smacked his arm away with my uninjured hand.

"Yeah, like you becoming a total jerkoff!" I snapped. I wondered what had happened to him recently that was making him act so weird.

"I'm not going to respect someone who can't _stand up to me._ "

There was something weird about the way he'd said the last few words. Like not crazy strange, but I pretty much knew how Keith talked and it just didn't feel right. Not that I really understood what it meant. I knew Keith had probably changed after hanging around with Kolivan and all, but he couldn't have changed _that_ much. I mean Keith is Keith, but I was pretty sure in his heart he felt the same way I did about things like taking care of the team and standing up for what's right.

I guess you could say we kind of came to the same conclusions a lot but took totally different paths to get there. So we rarely saw eye to eye, but it made him more than just a dude I _had_ to work with. And it wasn't like I'd ever said anything like that to him, but I'd started think he kind of felt the same about me.

None of this seemed right.

"You need to _stand up to me_ ," Keith repeated. "That is, if you want to get back on the team."

"What's that supposed—I'm _on_ the team. You're the one who needs to earn—"

"It isn't about earning," Keith cut me off. " _It's about_ _being there._ "

That was about the most screwed up thing he could've said. After all, _he_ was the guy who wasn't there when we needed him. If Shiro hadn't been able to still get along with Black, who knows what would've happened.

And Keith knew that, which meant... he was saying something else. Something he didn't want Thuk to understand. _That had to be it_. Some kind of coded message. Because if it wasn't, well… that was something I didn't even want to think about.

I figured out the first part pretty quick. I was pretty sure i _t's about being there_ didn't actually mean being there for the team at all. He meant it, like, in the most totally basic sense possible: being alive and free and stuff. Whatever he was saying was part of the plan to get us all out of there.

The other part was harder to figure out. We were on the same team, why would I stand up to him? Well, there are a lot of reasons I would, but not at a time like that. It didn't make any sense. Unless he wanted me to do exactly what Morvok had asked for: push for the Galra in the negotiations. I couldn't figure out why Allura and Keith would want that, but there was nothing else that even came close to making sense.

"You want tough? _Game on_."

Keith's emotionless stare continued, but the briefest moment I was pretty sure I saw his lip twitch into a tiny half-smile.

* * *

A/N: So I almost left this open ended, but hey… we all know Keith's not going to turn his back on Lance, so it wouldn't have been that suspenseful! Hopefully my effort to relay Keith's discomfort worked; it's a little harder in a first person narrative. Plus Keith's not that emotive to begin with.

As always, thank you for the support. Views, follows, and faves are awesome and getting notifications of reviews are a high point of my day! Thanks!


	29. Still Fight and I Don't Know Why

**Still Fight and I Don't Know Why**

"Are you satisfied?" Thuk asked gruffly. I guess he'd had enough with our bickering.

"Yes," Keith said, turning to the Galra. "You're lucky he wasn't injured further. You'd have nothing to bargain with."

Thuk didn't seem all that concerned. "Somehow I doubt that."

"I'm here to bring back a solider," Keith reminded him. "If he can't fight, he's of no use to me."

"I have heard much of human compassion. Risking yourselves to save the worthless and weak. Yet now you speak as if you have the same discipline and focus as a Galra Warrior." Thuk shook his head. "But your words are meaningless; that is not Galra blood in your veins."

"Assumptions are dangerous," Keith replied, not bothering to mention which assumption he was talking about. He turned towards the door. "Follow me."

The corridors of the _Cestova_ looked pretty much like those in the Castle, but everything was darker. I guess the Castle was kind of a diplomatic ship meant to make people feel welcome; the _Cestova_ was all battleship. The gashes Dikade had put in my thigh were hurting really bad, and every once in a while I could feel a bit of warm blood dripping down my leg. I was glad when Keith motioned us into a small room not too far from the hangar.

Because my leg was killing me I grabbed a seat as soon as I could. Keith sat down opposite me, which left Thuk having to decide which one of us he wanted to sit next to. He took the chair next to me.

"Commander Morvok intends to bring this vessel back to the Hub," Thuk said firmly. "He is graciously offering you the following terms: you and your personnel, including your Paladin, will evacuate this ship and leave the Necrosis Nebula. If you do so without complications, you will not be followed. This ship and everything on it shall remain as property of the Galra Empire."

Keith leaned back and interlocked his fingers like he was thinking, but I was pretty sure he was just delaying to delay. "If you return the Paladin… we will allow you to take whatever medical and propulsion technology you desire. No weapons, and not the ship itself."

"Unacceptable. The systems on this ship are fully integrated and cannot be reproduced without in-depth analysis. Of the _entire_ vessel."

"That's not going to happen."

"Why not?" I asked, wondering if Thuk could tell how nervous I felt. If I was wrong about what Keith wanted I was about to make things much worse. "We already _have_ an Altean ship. Can't we take what we want, and, you know, plug it into the Castle?"

Keith glared at me. "Do you really think that's how the most complex technology in the universe works?"

"Close enough." I leaned forward. "Allura can figure out what's most important. Then we take that, and leave."

Thuk turned to me. "You propose allowing you to tear everything of value from this ship? I am not prepared to settle for a scavenged hulk!"

Keith looked at me. "You know the risk of letting the Galra having any of this technology," he scolded.

Somehow I'd managed to tick everyone off. Of course, I was sort of used to that.

"Guys, we need to start somewhere," I said. "You can't both get everything you want."

"Not without bloodshed," Thuk reminded everyone.

" _That_ can be arranged," Keith said icily.

Thuk's lips curled into what looked sort of like a smile, but was a bit too sinister to really be one. "Without Voltron you are weak and powerless."

Keith raised an eyebrow just a bit. "Remember what I said about assumptions."

"Come on," I said, turning to Thuk. "Morvok says he doesn't want to fight." I looked back to Keith. "And Voltron or not, I know we don't either. So stop with the pissing contest and think of ways to make this work."

Thuk looked at me. "Such a contest seems unproductive and… disturbing."

"Exactly!"

"I know you want to get out of this," Keith told me. "But I'm here to be objective."

"And I am here to get what I want," Thuk added firmly.

I waived my uninjured hand in his direction. "Dude, this is a compromise. Nobody gets what they want!"

Keith stared at me for a few ticks, then looked at Thuk. "Alright. I'm willing to consider Lance's proposal," he said, " _if_ all weapons and defensive systems are removed before you take control of the ship."

Thuk raised a clawed finger, and for a moment I thought he was going to lash out at Keith again. Somehow, though, the Galra stayed calm. "That would give you everything of value."

Keith's eyes narrowed. "Do you really want to fight over a ten-thousand year old particle barrier and a few ancient torpedoes?"

"I have killed for less," Thuk replied quietly.

Things were getting heated again, and I really wanted to avoid them getting physical. I was pretty sure Keith would win, but with the gizmo on my wrist tied to Thuk's life, that wasn't necessarily a good thing. However stuff went down, it would be like the ultimate in lose-lose situations. There had to be a better way.

"What if we destroy it?" I asked. They both looked at me with confusion. "Like, the stuff, not the ship." I looked at Keith. "Like if we can't agree who gets the weapons, we just destroy them?"

"Perhaps for some items," Thuk said, "but the weapons are non-negotiable." I hadn't really expected him to go for the idea, but at least he wasn't making threats.

Keith shook his head. "I'm willing to see that they are destroyed, but you will _never_ take them." He was talking to Thuk, but he was looking at me. I was pretty sure he was trying to tell me something, but it took a few ticks to figure out what.

"Why not?" I asked, trying not to let Thuk see how nervous and uncomfortable I was. After all, if I was wrong about what I thought Keith wanted from me, I was just making thing worse. "You said it yourself, Keith," I continued, trying to make myself sound firm and a little frustrated, "The weapons are thousands of years old. And we already have most of the tech. Anything the Galra try to use, we can figure out a way to counter."

Keith glared at me, and I felt my chest starting to burn. He looked really upset, and I wasn't really sure if he was that good of an actor. But it didn't really matter now. I'd dug my hole, now it was time to hop in and hope for the best.

"You're being obtuse," Keith said coolly, "It doesn't matter what we have or how old something is: those weapons are dangerous."

"I _know that_ ," I whined, mixing a little fake and a little real irritation into my voice. "Plus, just 'cause I have better things to do than spend every free minute in the gym doesn't mean I'm obtuse."

"No. The fact that you don't know what obtuse means does." He looked back to Thuk. "The weapons are—"

"Not that important!" I interrupted. "Think about it. Galra have been studying Altean tech for millennia. Even if there is some stuff here they haven't seen, it will take them deca-phebes to understand it, let alone actually build it and get it out in the field."

"You're saying giving someone a doomsday weapon is OK because it will be a little while before they can use it?" Keith shook his head. "I never realized you were that shortsighted."

He was right about the argument being crap, but that wasn't the point. But, for whatever reason it seemed he wanted an argument, and I was going to give him one.

I leaned way forward. "Shortsighted? Really dude? You go out and whatever you want, whenever you want! Without caring what happens to the rest of us! You're arrogant, stubborn, and-and have really dumb hair." I couldn't help but cringe a bit. I was being nasty and making a scene on purpose, but there was just enough truth in what I was saying that it felt messed up. It was a fake fight, but I was using real ammunition. I really hoped Keith would understand.

"And you've sold out." He leaned across the table, putting his face near mine. "You're willing to give up everything to protect yourself. It disgusts me." He sat back. "I'm not sure I even want you back."

Even though I was almost totally sure that was still part of the show, it was still painful to hear that kind of accusation. I'm pretty sure everyone could tell it hurt me. My eyes widened a little, my mouth opened a bit, and for a few ticks I just didn't know what to say.

"We don't have a choice," a familiar voice said from the door. "We _need_ him back."

I looked over to see Allura staring daggers at Keith. Whatever the two had planned, I was pretty sure it was about to go down.

* * *

A/N: As always, thank you for your support! An extra special thanks to those that have taken the time to review!


	30. Maybe We Make a Deal

**Maybe We Make a Deal**

Keith tried to make it look like he hadn't been expecting Allura, but I could tell he wasn't surprised by her arrival. It made me feel a bit better: I finally knew _for sure_ that there was some kind of act going on, though I still didn't know if I was playing my part right.

"Princess," Keith said, with irritation in his voice. Unlike surprise, _that_ wasn't hard for him to fake. Keith is really good at sounding irritated. "We agreed you would remain with the others while I handled this."

"And if you _were_ handling it I would have remained with them," Allura said firmly. "But it seems you've allowed your ego to influence negotiations."

Keith's eyes narrowed. He was also good at looking angry. "It isn't my ego. I represent both you and the Blade of Marmora," he reminded her. "And you shouldn't have been listening in on me. I don't like being babysat."

Allura stared back at him with the weighty regal look she gets sometimes, the one where she doesn't even need to say anything for someone to realize she's a born leader. "Allowing a Paladin to remain in Galra hands is unacceptable."

"That wasn't going to happen."

She frowned. "I have my doubts. Even if that is what you intended, I doubt the Galra negotiator would have tolerated much more of your inflexibility." Allura's eyes moved to Thuk. "I am Princess Allura of Altea."

Thuk slowly rose to his feet in a surprising gesture of respect. "I have heard many things about you, Princess. Few of them good."

Her expression hardened just a bit. "Given Voltron's battle record, I doubt many Galra officers would have a favorable impression of me. Hopefully this experience will be different."

Thuk seemed to think about that for a Tick. "That is possible," he said, glancing at Keith, "provided you are more reasonable than your companion."

"Don't worry," I tried to assure him, "Allura is smart, reasonable, nice… so totally _not_ like Keith." Keith glared at me, but didn't say anything.

The Galra nodded. "I am Lieutenant Thuk, representing the eminent Commander Morvok and the Galra Empire."

"Thank you for coming, Lieutenant," she said politely but with a pretty clear edge of authority. She slipped into the empty chair next to Keith and motioned for Thuk to take his seat. "Let us see if we can break this impasse."

"If you have been monitoring this discussion, you know my terms," Thuk replied. "This vessel, in its entirety, in return for the freedom of your Paladin and safety of your people."

"My troops have already loaded medical supplies and some engineering equipment onto a shuttle," Allura said. "Those items, and the shuttle itself, will go with us. I also intend to remove a sensor junction and several historical files of cultural significance."

Thuk regarded her carefully. "And that is all you require?"

Allura looked uncomfortable. "No, but it is what we must accept."

"Not a chance!" Keith interrupted angrily. "There is no way we're letting them have a fully armed battlecruiser."

"I am responsible for the safety of everyone on this ship," Allura said sharply. "And their lives come before the desires of the Blade."

Keith slammed his fist on the table hard enough that I felt the vibration through the floor. "Forget about the Blade; _think about the universe_! The destruction the Galra could cause with this technology!"

"And without Voltron, what's to stop them?" Allura demanded. Her voice was way more controlled than Keith's, but she still sounded angry in her own way.

"We can find other Paladins," Keith said.

"Are you sure?" the Princess countered. "It took ten millennia to find this one."

"No one was trying to find a Paladin!" he shot back. "This would be different."

"We do not know that for sure," Allura said calmly but firmly.

"There's nothing special about Lance!" Keith replied. It was kind of savage, even if he didn't really mean it. Which I wasn't entirely sure about.

"Special or not, he has achieved the extraordinary," Allura replied smoothly. I think I might have blushed. Just a little. I mean, I knew this had turned into kind of a good cop/bad cop thing and they were playing their parts, but she didn't _have_ to say it. "You cannot discount that so quickly."

Keith took a deep breath, trying hard to maintain his cool. Or at least trying hard to look like he was trying hard to maintain his cool. "I can't go along with this."

"And if you don't," Allura warned, "it could fracture Voltron and the alliances we have formed. What would that mean for the universe?"

Keith looked down at his lap for a few ticks. "I'm not agreeing," he said slowly, "but I won't stop you."

The Princess turned back to Thuk. "It will take three vargas to remove the sensor node and finish loading the shuttle. Once complete, we will leave with the shuttle and the equipment I described. The _Cestova_ and all of its weapons systems will be yours."

The Galra officer looked at her suspiciously. "Commander Morvok will need to approve any agreement," he said at last. "I must confer with him," he continued, pulling a communications device out of a pocket. "Is there a location where I may do so-privately?"

"There's another conference room across the corridor," Keith grumbled.

"I will return shortly," Thuk announced as he came to his feet.

I opened my mouth as the door closed behind the Galra, but Allura motioned to me to stay quiet. Keith pulled out a pad a quickly jotted something down, pushing it across the table to me. It read: _HE COULD HAVE HIDDEN A MIC._ I looked up to see Keith gesture towards the device on my wrist.

I nodded in understanding. With my messed up fingers writing a lot on the pad wasn't really an option; it took a while, but I managed to scribble out _ALL OK?_ with my left hand. It was barely readable, but they understood.

Keith quickly erased my note and replaced it with his own. _HE'S RIGHT WHERE WE WANT HIM_.

I frowned, not sure how agreeing to give Thuk the _Cestova_ was having him right where we wanted him, but I figured I'd just need to trust Allura and Keith to know what they were doing. I heard the door open, and quickly slid the pad back to Keith.

"Commander Morvok has agreed to your offer," Thuk said as he walked towards us, "provided you accept one additional term."

"And what is that?" Allura asked, sounding a bit irritated.

"He does not trust you to take only those items you have proposed taking," the Galra said. "I will conduct an inspection of your shuttle before you depart to ensure… compliance."

Allura tensed slightly, and I wonder if Thuk noticed. This whole big illusion that it wasn't just the three of us was going to get a lot more complicated if the Galra wanted to start looking around before we left.

"You will remain in your ship until we call for you," Allura said finally. "I then allow you five dobashes to verify what we have taken."

Thuk didn't look happy, but he nodded in agreement. "The Paladin will remain in my custody until then."

I swallowed. I'd been hoping this was where Thuk and I would be parting ways. After all, there were a lot of things that could still go wrong. I could tell Allura wasn't thrilled either, but she wasn't going to let this sink the deal.

"Very well," the Princess replied.

"I hope that I find nothing." Thuk glanced down at me before looking back at the Princess. "It would be regrettable if I did."

Allura leaned forward. "If anything happens to him, it will be more than regrettable."

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the good cop bad cop of Allura and Keith!

As always, thank you for the views, follows, and faves. A special thank you to Dragunz, Brisalad, Rehabilitated Sith, Shastelly, LBthebookworm, Shiranai Astune, and bja133 for their reviews over the last several chapters. It is definitely a high point of the day when I check my e-mail and see the review alerts! Your support is awesome and appreciated!


	31. The Roads We Have to Walk are Winding

**The Roads We Have to Walk are Winding**

I wasn't exactly looking forward to the next three vargas. Hanging around in a shuttle with a couple Galra just wasn't how I'd wanted to spend my day. But at least the end was in sight, assuming, you know, that this whole big plan didn't just fall apart.

At least Keith and Allura were free to do their thing. I, on the other hand, was stuck trying to keep Thuk from figuring out what was going on. The dude was pretty sharp, way smarter than his boss. If I accidentally said or did anything wrong, he'd probably pick up on it. That fact was pretty much freaking me out. One mistake, and the whole thing just blows up.

I sat just outside the shuttle while the Galra did whatever inside. The fact that Thuk hadn't tied me to the ship was a good sign, though with the gizmo on my wrist he probably figured he didn't need to. After half a varga or so Thuk stepped out of his ship, probably to make sure I was still just sitting there.

Thuk stopped next to me, is yellow eyes scanning the hangar. "Your Princess sacrificed considerably to secure your release."

"That's how she is," I told him. "I know you guys don't get it, but people matter to us."

"Your other compatriot would seem to disagree."

I shrugged. "He's, uh… different."

"Indeed." Thuk looked at me. "I respect his convictions, but found his manner… distasteful."

I tried not to laugh. Keith was so irritating even the Galra were complaining about it. "He gets that way with everyone. Add in that he doesn't really respect Galra officers, and you get what you get."

"I had thought your kind respected their opponents?"

"Well, some of us. And like, if we think they are honorable or smart or whatever. But Keith kind of assumes everyone from the Empire is incontinent until they prove otherwise."

"That is an unusual assertion," Thuk replied.

I shrugged again. "I dunno… to be fair, we've seen _a lot_ of evidence."

The Galra looked at me kind of funny for a moment, then stared out at the hangar. "It was still unusual to choose such an abrasive individual to lead negotiations."

 _Abrasive_. That was a good word for Keith. "I guess, but it's not like they expected anything better from you guys."

Thuk made a strange noise that I think was some kind of Galra sigh. "Unlike your previous assumption, I can understand that belief. Negotiation is not a typical Galra technique; the concept opposes our nature. A true warrior earns his victory on the battlefield, not in a conference room."

"But a win in a conference room is better than a butt-kicking on the battlefield," I pointed out. Thuk said nothing, so I added, "This is pretty weird for both of us, I guess."

"Weird," he repeated, pronouncing the word like he'd never said it before and was sort of trying it out. "I suppose so."

"Of course, this last year's like totally redefined weird for me." I leaned back against the side of Thuk's ship, feeling a sharp pain in my thigh as I did and let out a little hiss.

Thuk gesture toward my leg. "How long does it take for a human to recover from such injuries?"

"Normally a while, but—" I looked up at him, wondering why he'd want to know. Was he trying to steal some kind of secrets about Altean tech, or maybe just trying to get some intel on how long Voltron might be out of commission? "Why do you want to know?"

His yellow eyes seemed to widen a bit, almost like he was surprised by my question. "I understood such a question to be appropriate amongst species that value one another?"

"Yeah, but… since when have you guys cared about anyone's wellbeing?" I countered.

"Galra have no tolerance for weakness and failure," Thuk replied after a brief pause. "One who fails to achieve their objective is summarily deemed unworthy. But it is different when one demonstrates strength."

"Not sure I follow…"

"It took strength to resist Dikade's interrogation. You refused to divulge anything of significant value despite intense physical pain."

That answer was not really what I'd been expecting. It seemed almost like he respected what I'd done? Maybe? "My team was counting on me."

"Yes, your _desire_ to protect them." He said desire like it was a bad word. "Your beliefs are heavily flawed, but that does not diminish your commitment to them. Few would withstand such torture for any purpose."

Now that was definitely not what I'd been expecting. "I, uh… thank you?"

"It is inconsequential," Thuk said. I guess saying something sort of nice didn't sit well with him. "The dominance of the Galra Empire is inevitable."

"Maybe," I said, "But things haven't been going so hot for you guys recently."

Thuk straightened to his full height. "I offer you a gesture of respect, and you insult the valor of Galra warriors?"

"No, no… it's not like that." Seriously, isn't he the one who just said that whatever I did didn't matter? Talk about insulting. "I just mean… look, the truth is we are fighting for different things. You guys want to control everything; we just want to control ourselves. We believe that there is room in this Universe for everybody, we don't need to fight over who's in charge."

"But the fight determines who is the strongest, who has the right to rule. Only through unquestioned dominance can the Galra take their rightful place a in the universe."

"Then why aren't we fighting?" I asked. "Why are you letting me go?"

"It is a strategy to facilitate our long term goals," Thuk replied.

"Yeah, but if there are some strategies where we don't fight… maybe there are others where we don't fight. Like things that… that help everybody."

"What _things_?" he asked skeptically.

"I don't know," I admitted. "But look at us," I continued, pointing a finger on my good hand at me, then at him, then back at me. "We never thought we'd be here. Maybe there are other things that we just don't see yet." I shrugged and let out a long breath. "Maybe we just need the right people to look for them."

"Are you suggesting people like you?" Thuk asked skeptically.

"No… no-no-no-no-no," I replied quickly. "So _so_ not me. I just mean if we can talk like this then maybe some other Galra and Humans and Olkari and Puifians and whoever else, can talk. People who have the brains to figure out fixes, and the power to do something with them."

"What you propose contradicts generations of Galra heritage," Thuk replied firmly. "It ignores the core of what we are: warriors forged from the ashes of Daibazaal who will never again allow our supremacy to be challenged."

"Alfor did what he did for a reason," I said. "He was-"

"I never knew my home because of Alfor!" Thuk shouted. It was the first time I'd heard him sound really, truly mad. Like that type of angry you get where you are on the verge of just losing it. "The Galra are what we are today," he continued, still angry but mostly in control, "because of what Alfor did. Because we saw what trust in friendship and acceptance of weakness got us."

I waited several ticks, not sure what, exactly to say to that. It reminded me a bit of what Allura had said, but even at her angriest I'd never seen that crazy rage in her eyes. And Allura had been there, she had seen the war first-hand. Thuk had been taught to hate.

"I can't even imagine what that's like," I said finally, trying to be as understanding as I could be. "But more people will find out if the war keeps going on."

"Perhaps they should," the Galra said in a tone that gave me chills. He kneeled down so that his eyes were almost level with my face. "If they cannot prevent their own demise, then they deserve their fate. The strong, the deserving will find a way."

I looked back at him, even though staring into those yellow eyes felt really creepy. "You can be strong _and_ merciful," I said slowly. I looked down and put my left hand on my forehead. "I… look, you could kill me now, if you wanted to?" Maybe not the smartest point to make, but it's not like he didn't already know it. "I can barely walk; my hands broken. I'm weak. If you go after me, I can't prevent my own demise."

Thuk straightened up. "To kill you at this time would not be in the best interests of the Galra," he replied.

"Because you wouldn't get the _Cestova_ ," I said.

"Commander Morvok has determined it is of my value than your life."

"That's, uh… good to know, I guess," I said, looking back up at him. "But, the point is that sometimes you get something important by not destroying someone. There are other ways to win."

"This situation is unique," Thuk countered. "Few items are of such value."

"But maybe… every situation is unique. Sometimes it's just complicated. Just 'cause you're not getting or a weapon or a planet or whatever, that doesn't make it any less important." I closed my eyes briefly, thinking about home, about my team, about so much that I hadn't even known had existed until recently. "What you get from other people isn't always a thing you can hold, or something you really even understand until later."

* * *

AN: This got a bit longer than expected, but it felt like a conversation that these two had to have before they parted ways. As always, thank you some much for your support!


	32. They're Coming to Set Me Free

**They're Coming to Set Me Free**

Thuk stared down at me, and it felt like there was a lot of thinking going on behind his yellow eyes. Like he knew I had a point, but wasn't sure if it was a good one. I figured the best thing I could do was to tell him he should think some more.

"I'm not saying I get what's important to the Galra or I know what you should do," I said. "Just that… you should think about what else there might be. Sometimes when you look at things differently, everything you thought just kind of doesn't make sense anymore." To be fair, I was still learning how to do that. It's the kind of stuff you figure out when your entire life gets turned upside down and a universe of people you never knew existed suddenly are depending on you.

"Such occasions are rare," Thuk said firmly. "But," he added, "I suppose they do occur." The Galra looked down, then back to me. "This war is about many things. Optimism alone will not change the course of events."

Was Thuk trying to sound tough, or did he really not get it? The universe _had_ changed. Voltron was back, but it wasn't about what we had done or could do. It was what Voltron stood for: hope. People all over had a reason to be optimistic again, and that gave the strength to make more of a difference than we ever could.

Before I could explain this to Thuk, the door slid open and Keith entered. He glanced back and forth between us, looking at little surprised at how casual we were. Not the standard Galra/prisoner relationship he was used to.

"You came quicker than I expected," Thuk said.

"I bet he's heard that before," I said softly. I'm not sure if Keith could hear me.

"We're almost done," Keith told him. "I wanted to check that you'd be ready when we are."

"I have no desire to spend more time than required here," Thuk replied brusquely.

Keith nodded. "Spending time with Lance isn't for everyone."

"He is not who I find most objectionable."

For a tick Keith just returned Thuk's cold stare. Somehow I don't think he really cared what Thuk thought of him, but Keith's not the kind of dude who just brushes of insults either. "I don't have much tolerance for those that torture my teammates."

"That was not my decision," the Galra answered. "And I have kept my word. Since our meeting no harm has come to him, and he has remained unrestrained."

"Except for the kill switch on his wrist," Keith noted dryly. He looked at me. "How are you feeling?"

I gave him a little smile. "Flattered that you care so much."

"Don't get used to it." He glanced at a chrono on his wrist, then looked back at Thuk. "Allura's team should be done in less than five dobashes," he told the Galra.

"Indeed," Thuk said in a soft tone that made me a little nervous. Did he suspect something was up? Had I said something? I could feel my chest tightening up. If he called our bluff, we'd need to fight our way out. I wouldn't be much help in the shape I was in; it's hard to be sharpshooter when your fingers don't work.

There was a beep and Keith pulled something from his pocket. He glanced at Thuk, then turned to face the wall. "Allura, what's your status?" I couldn't hear the reply. "Lance is fine." There was another pause. "Understood. We'll see you in a moment."

"They done?" I asked, happy I remembered to say 'they'.

Keith nodded. "They should be by the time we get down there."

"Then you are ready to proceed?" Thuk inquired.

"In a moment," Keith replied sharply. "First, the agreement was _you_ inspect what we are taking. Not your lackey, not your sentries. Just you."

Thuk didn't look happy, but he nodded.

"Second, you leave all your weapons here."

Thuk nodded again.

"Third," Keith said, pointing to me, "that thing comes off his wrist before you inspect the shuttle."

"You expect me to proceed alone, unarmed, and immediately give up the only other insurance I have for my safety?"

"I don't really care about your safety," Keith said.

One of Thuk's thick, furry eyebrows raised slightly. "Thus my concern." I could tell from his tone he wasn't going to go along with Keith's instructions. Not that I could really blame him. Keith wouldn't have gone for those terms in a million years.

Keith's eyes narrowed, and I hoped that he wasn't going to make an issue out of this. It wasn't like I wanted the wristband any longer than necessary, but a few more dobashes wouldn't really make a difference. Unless, of course, Keith and Allura were planning to take Thuk out… because then my suggestion would make things very bad. That didn't seem likely though. Allura's word is pretty important to her; it's not like she won't lie when she has to, but Thuk hadn't done anything to deceive her. That made me think she'd honor her commitment.

"The device merely gives me a deterrent," Thuk added smoothly.

"It prevents us for neutralizing you if you pose a threat," Keith replied much less smoothly.

This was going to keep going in circles. "The things on _my_ arm," I pointed out impatiently. "How about you do your inspection, _then_ pull this thing off?"

Keith gave me one of his pouty looks, not that I really knew what it meant. He has a lot of pouty looks. He turned back to the Galra. "Fine. But no weapons and just you."

"Agreed," Thuk said. He removed his sidearm and placed it on the ground. Then he pulled some kind of knife from a wrist-holder and dropped it on the floor. He turned to face his ship. "Ralik!"

The other Galra quickly emerged from the hatch. "Yes sir!"

"Fetch the container," Thuk instructed.

"Yes sir," Ralik acknowledged. Moments later he returned, placing a metal case on the ground in front of his superior. It looked just like the one Dikade had pulled my bayard out of back on the Galra ship.

"Remain with the ship. I will contact you if required." Thuk's glance shifted to Keith, than back to Ralik. "If you do not hear from me within one varga inform Commander Morvok that the Paladins have failed to honor our agreement."

"Understood Lieutenant," Ralik replied, bowing slightly. "Vrepit sa!"

Thuk put his clenched fist over his chest. "Vrepit sa."

I started to stand up, using the side of Thuk's ship for support. It was pretty smooth, so I sort of pressed myself against it and just slid upwards. Keith saw what I was doing and grabbed one of my arms, giving me the extra boost I needed to get on my feet.

Thuk motioned to the case in front of him. "These are the items you had with you when you were captured," he said.

"Good," I said, reaching out with my right hand to take the container before I thought better of it. My one hand was shot, and I might need the other for balance if my leg started to give out. "Keith, do you—"

Keith silently picked up the case, though he obviously wasn't happy.

Thuk motioned to the door. "Proceed."

* * *

AN: A short chapter, but I hope you enjoyed! Thanks as always for the faves, follows, views, and reviews! The mean more than you know!


	33. I Can't Escape This Now

I Can't Escape This Now

It was a long walk to the hangar bay where the Keith and Allura had loaded the Altean shuttle. I guess it made sense: if you're going to put two hangars on a ship, don't put them right next to each other. Still, I think the Alteans were onto something with the way they setup getting to the Lions back at the castle. Just walking around a giant ship wasn't fun, especially since my leg hurt with every step.

Keith led the way, no more talkative than usual. Once or twice Thuk stopped to look at something, earning him a nasty look from Keith, but other than that the two didn't interact at all. Keith didn't seem interested in a conversation with me either.

It probably only took us a quarter varga to get to the hangar, but it felt like a lot longer. As I stood next to Keith I got my first glimpse of our new ride: a sleek Altean ship that looked like a supersized version of the pod we'd crashed. It was about three times the size with real windshields up front instead of a force field, plus a big cargo door on the side and a few extra engines.

Allura exited the cargo door a few moments after we arrived. "I thought you were going to remove that device," she said.

"I was," Keith explained. "But the Lieutenant insisted he needed the protection. He's afraid I'm going to try and take him out."

"Just like so many girls back on Earth," I said just loud enough for Keith to hear me. "Its fine," I said more loudly to Allura. "As long as you don't let him, you know, leave before he takes it off."

"I am here to verify that you have been true to your word," Thuk said. "If so, I will be true to mine."

The inside of the shuttle was cluttered with all sorts of stuff. Thuk quickly glanced through a bunch of medical supplies, but then bent down and looked closely at some computer equipment. I felt my chest getting tight again as I wondered if he'd found something the others had been trying to sneak past him.

"You have removed complete data cores," Thuk said, sounding unhappy. "That renders the associated systems inoperative."

"The shuttle's computer lacks sufficient memory," Allura explained, "and these are from the non-essential systems we discussed."

"The ship's log, personal crew information, and some navigational data," Keith added. "The stuff you're salivating over is still all onboard."

"Activate this one," Thuk said, holding up a blue cylinder that he seemed to have chosen at random.

Allura took it from him and inserted it into one of the shuttle's data ports, then motioned the Galra towards the screen. "You are free to look through whatever you desire."

Thuk scanned the files for about half a dobash, than nodded. "It appears to be what you claim." I let out a breath I'd been holding.

"As I said, we have adhered to our agreement," Allura assured him.

The Galra officer looked around for a few more dobashes, then returned to the door and motioned for me to follow him out of the shuttle.

He stopped about halfway from the door, and pointed to a spot on the hangar deck. "Stand here."

I looked back at him, confused. Thuk turned his head towards the shuttle. I looked back and saw Keith standing in the door, his hand not so subtly clutching some kind of weapon. It took a tick, but I realized what was going on. He didn't trust Keith, so he'd positioned me between himself and the shuttle. Directly in Keith's line of fire.

I just hoped Keith wouldn't try anything dumb. Mullet's not the teams' sharpshooter, after all.

For a few ticks, Thuk just looked at me. "I find it most interesting I have seen no other personnel from your team," he said at last. "Nor have I seen the vessel you arrived in."

I felt suddenly cold and was pretty sure the color was draining from my face. It was everything I'd feared.

He knew.

"Additionally, the vessel we captured you in had evidence of other occupants," the Galra continued. "A vessel which could hold three if required."

I started to feel sick. I knew Thuk had put me between him and Keith to protect himself, I just hadn't realized why. He wasn't about to lose his leverage, he was getting ready to go on the offensive.

"That was the vessel you all arrived on," Thuk continued. "You remained with it while the other two attempted to capture the _Cestova_."

"But you had a team here all already," I said. "How could two people take out your team?" I don't really know why I brought that up; I'm think my stunned expression had told Thuk everything he needed to know. It's hard to put up a good poker face when your skin turns white.

"Their failure is inexcusable, but not unexpected," Thuk replied. "The Paladins of Voltron have demonstrated an ability to… overcome the odds."

I swallowed, trying to keep from throwing up. This was beyond not good.

Thuk removed a control from a uniform pocket. "Hold out your hand," he instructed. I did as I was told, even though my arm was trembling a bit. This was it. He was going to kill me, and Allura and Keith would need to fight their way out.

What I'd been scared of for so long had finally happened: my mistakes had caught up to me. And I wasn't the only one who was going to have to pay for them.

* * *

AN: As always, thank you for your support!


	34. And When the Night is Cloudy…

And When the Night is Cloudy…

Thuk grabbed my trembling wrist in one of his big, furry hands. I clenched my jaw and braced myself, wondering how much this was going to hurt. I could feel a cold sweat forming all over me. This was it; after everything I'd been through this was how it was going to end. I was eighteen years old and millions of lighyears from home, stuck in the middle of a war I hadn't even known about until a few months ago. And now I was a victim of my own stupidity.

Despite everything I'd faced and all the mistakes I'd made, the strength of my team had kept me safe. Shiro's bravery, Allura's kindness, Pidge's brains, Hunk's heart, Coran's dedication, and Keith. But now I'd failed them, and they couldn't save me this time. I just hoped that Keith and Allura would make it out of this OK. I really didn't want to die, but if I had to I could live with it. The idea of them suffering for my mistakes was way harder to take.

"Did you believe this charade would be effective?" he asked

"I… uhhh." I was so nervous I was feeling sick, and even if I could of put together a sentence I had no idea what to say. How do you politely tell someone you'd been hoping they'd be dumber?

"Underestimating the intellect of an opponent is a common failing amongst ambitious Galra commanders," Thuk told me. "I had thought the Paladin's of Voltron were beyond such foolishness."

I shook my head. Well it was kind of more like a tiny jerk back and forth. All the muscles in my neck were too tight to move much. "Nope, ahh, we can… we can be pretty foolish."

Thuk did something to the device on my wrist, though I wasn't sure if it had a purpose. He might have just wanted to look like he was doing something to keep Keith from asking questions about the delay.

"Look," I told him, "this… doesn't change anything. We, you know, agreed and stuff."

"This changes things a great deal," Thuk said darkly. "The agreement was based on deception."

His tone had been so cold it made me shiver. "It's not like that..."

"Would you not say your allies conspired to create this façade?"

I shook my head. "Probably not… uh, no."

Thuk frowned. "Really..."

"I don't know what that last word means so I, you know, wouldn't say it," I explained. "Listen, I know it sucks when someone tries to trick you; you have _no idea_ what my brothers and sisters can be like. Like, it's amazing how many things look like apple juice that just totally aren't apple juice." I realized I was getting a little off topic. Thinking about home does that to me. "So I get how you feel. But-but this was… well, it might have been a trick, but it wasn't meant to hurt you. It was what was best for all of us."

"Explain," Thuk said quietly. "Truthfully."

"Well… uh, the truth... the truth is…" I closed my eyes for a tick. It wasn't like hiding what had happened really mattered anymore, but it was still tough trying to figure out how to explain it to him. "We never wanted a fight. I mean, I wasn't even planning on being here. Like, here in the nebula. I made a mistake, and we got stuck, and so I…" I took a deep breath. "I know that Galra don't always think this way, but I needed to do whatever I could to protect the others. And getting them out of here without fighting was about the best I could do."

"It was never your intention to seize this vessel?"

"Um, not mine, no." That was the truth. Whatever Keith had been up to had nothing to do with me. At least until I shot up his ship. "But our ship was too badly damaged to escape the nebula on its own."

"It seems unlikely that you stumbled upon a derelict Altean warship by accident."

"Keith had information about it," I admitted, hoping that Thuk didn't decided to push that any further. "And when we got here, you found us. So Keith and Allura bailed and I tried to distract you."

"An interesting strategy," Thuk said thoughtfully. "You risked yourself because of loyalty to your comrades."

"I guess, though, it was, you know… kind of my fault in the first place."

"You likewise misled me to protect them."

"Pretty much. But, like, you still get out of here with most of what you want, so…"

The Galra was quiet for a few ticks. "While your actions were unwise, they imply a sense of honor." His eyes narrowed. "One that would compel your compliance should you be indebted to another."

I furrowed my brow, trying to figure out what his point was. Then it hit me like a cold wave. "Uh… are you trying to say if you let us go, I owe you?"

The Galra nodded. "Though your ultimate downfall is inevitable, there may come a time before than when you could be of use. And, at the moment, Morvok's orders stand. No one is aware of the situation but myself. This can all proceed as planned, _if_ we have an agreement."

I looked at him. I knew I could just say yes, just agree to whatever he wanted and figure it out later. But would he believe me? And did I really want to lie to him?

"I… would do what I could," I said quietly, "but I won't betray my friends."

"Some would argue any aide given to the enemy is a betrayal."

I closed my eyes and looked down. "Showing mercy is never a betrayal."

"Mercy is not a concept the Galra accept," Thuk said. "It is a weakness we exploit. Yet, coming from a Paladin of Voltron… It could have value."

"I, like, can't promise intelligence or anything, but if you were captured or whatever, I'd do everything I could to make sure you're safely released," I replied.

The Galra seemed to consider that for a few ticks. "Even if to do so goes against the wishes of your friends?"

"As long as they didn't get hurt."

"It is far more plausible my request will take some other form." By the way he said request, I knew he wasn't using the word the same way I would.

"I can't promise more than I already have," I told him honestly. "If I can, I'll try to help you, but not at the expense of my team."

"Then, despite what I offer, you insist on… limitations?"

"You said you trusted me because I'd shown honor," I said slowly, looking directly into his yellow eyes. I really hoped I'd read Thuk the right way. He was still a Galra Officer, after all. "I'm showing you why you're right."

I heard a click. My eyes popped open and I shuddered before I realized what it was. The latch on the wrist device had opened. I was free.

"Do not forget this," Thuk said firmly.

"I don't think I'll ever forget any of this," I said. It was the truth. I looked at my now bare wrist. It was red and irritated where the device had been. Not that it was anything compared to what else I'd been through.

Thuk turned towards Keith. "Your Paladin is now free," he said loudly. "I advise you leave immediately."

"You'll find the Galra that were aboard this ship in cargo bay six," Keith told him.

Thuk nodded. "They will be punished for their failure."

I couldn't tell from so far away, but I'm pretty sure Keith got a tiny smirk on his face. "They already have been. Some of them are in rough shape, but they're all in one piece. I can't say the same about the sentries that were with them."

Thuk's eyes narrowed. "I also believe you should know Galra rarely suffer from digestive problems."

Keith's serious expression turned into a much more confused one. "I… thanks for that."

"Your Paladin informed me of your misconception." Thuk turned and started walking towards the door.

"Thank you," I said, pretty sure that if Keith overheard me he'd think I was crazy.

Thuk looked back over his shoulder. "Regardless of how our agreement comes to pass, you deserve to die in battle. Not at the hands of a coward like Morvok." He turned away and continued towards the door.

"I'd rather not die at all," I said after him.

Thuk stopped but did not turn around. "We shall see." He then left the hangar bay, the white doors sliding shut behind him.

* * *

AN: Just a few more chapters to go, and they are shaping up to be pretty interesting—at least in my opinion! As you probably noticed, all the chapter titles have been song lyrics from all sorts of genres. This one though felt like a synopsis for the whole story:

 **And when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me**

 **Shine until tomorrow, let it be**

 _-Let it Be, Paul McCartney and John Lennon_

As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read, follow, fave, and review! Best wishes!


	35. No One Ever Said It Would Be This Hard

**No One Ever Said It Would Be This Hard**

We were powering up the shuttle within a dobash of Thuk leaving. The cockpit was totally different than a regular shuttle, with two large command chairs up front that looked just like the ones on the Castle. Three smaller and simpler looking chairs were behind them. Keith, of course, had climbed into one of the command chairs without comment. Allura had politely suggested I relax in one of the other chairs before sitting next to Keith.

I had a million questions for them, but there wasn't any time to ask them yet. Even if Thuk was willing to honor our deal, there was no guarantee Morvok wouldn't change his mind. The big Altean shuttle seemed like a pretty tough ship, maybe even tough enough to stand up to the Galra salvage vessel for a while. But if Morvok brought in his cruiser, we'd be screwed.

"Power levels are stabilizing," Allura reported, moving her hands quickly across the display. "Main engines are coming online."

Keith nodded and started adding power. For the first time in millennia the shuttle eased into the air, and there was a noise as the landing struts retracted. On Keith's command the ship started gliding towards the hangar exit and the space beyond it.

"Be ready to take evasive action," Allura instructed.

"You don't trust Morvok?" Keith asked sarcastically.

Keith kept the shuttle close to the _Cestova_ as we departed, making sure the old Altean cruiser stayed between us and the Galra ship for as long as possible. Of course, that only helped if the salvage ship was still the only Galra vessel around.

"Any sign of a cruiser?" I asked, remembering how Morvok had mentioned he had one waiting outside the nebula.

Allura shook her head. "None on sensors, but there is a lot of interference from the nebula."

"That works both ways," Keith said, "which means if they are going to do something, they'll be doing it soon. Once we're out of sensor range, they'll never find us again."

"Good," I said quietly, leaning forward to look out the windshield. We were in a turn now, and I could see the clear area Keith was heading towards. We left the shadow of the _Cestova_ and I could see the Galra ship hanging in the distance.

Keith tensed up and I saw his grip on the controls tighten. A bunch of tense ticks passed as we waited for the Galra to make a move. I knew Morvok wasn't above double crossing us, but he was also a coward. He'd tangled with us before and lost badly. He might not be in a hurry to try again, even if he thought he had the upper hand.

At least that's what I was hoping.

"Any way to get more power?" Keith asked Allura. "The faster we're out of their weapons range, the better."

Allura shook her head. "These engines haven't been maintained in thousands of deca-phebes. Trying to increase their output would be unwise."

"Getting hit by Galra lasers is unwise," Keith countered.

"Yeah, that's kind of point of this whole deal," I said.

"I don't like waiting for them to make the first move," Keith said. "If we could get a few good shots in before they could react, we might have a chance against them. This shuttle is well armed."

Allura glanced out the window at the now distant salvage ship. "If the Galra intended to attack, I presume they would have done so already."

Keith huffed. "I still don't like it."

"If they are willing to hold up there end of the bargain, do you really want to go and screw it up? You know what they say about kicking a gift horse in the mouth."

Keith mumbled something I couldn't make out.

I looked back towards the _Cestova_. The big ship was starting to disappear into the haze of the nebula. I couldn't help but shiver a little bit. If I ever saw it again, it would probably be shooting at me.

Which, of course, raised a big question. "Was it, you know, a good idea to let them have the _Cestova?"_ I asked.

Keith glanced back at me. "You were all about our bargain a few ticks ago."

"I just said that if they honored it we probably should too. I didn't say it was a good idea."

"It is a risk," Allura said calmly, "but I doubt the _Cestova_ will be as useful as they believe."

"You don't think they can learn how it works?"

"With enough time, they could," Allura said.

"But if all goes well it will explode before they do," Keith said.

I felt my heart sink. They'd put a bomb on the _Cestova_. I mean, I knew this was war: I'd taken out a lot of Galra myself. Still, for some reason, leaving a bomb hidden on the ship after making an agreement just didn't seem like the right thing to do.

"We did not plant an explosive," Allura said, almost like she was reading my mind. My expression must have given a lot away. "But we discovered why the ship was abandoned."

"We've cleared their weapons range," Keith interjected.

"The main engines created a particle current that became intertwined with the flux off of the nearby singularity," Allura explained. "That's why the ship got stuck: without separating the particle current, the entire vessel would be destroyed if they had engaged the main engines."

I nodded. I wasn't totally up on particle physics, but I got the gist of what she was saying. "And they died before they figured out how."

"They tried contacting Altean command," the Princess continued, "but the interference from the nebula was too severe. They sent out several torpedo-mines to try and use them as relays, but it didn't work."

"That explains why they'd launch weapons even though they weren't being attacked," I said. "But if you figured out what happened, won't Morvok?"

"All of the ships logs are on the memory cores in we took with us," Keith answered.

"Yeah, but… they could still figure it out, right?"

"As I said, it is a risk," Allura said.

Keith shrugged. "Not much of one. Morvok wants to bring the ship home and be rewarded, not spend several quintants analyzing it."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," I said. "Still its sort of…" I trailed off, not really sure what to say.

"Perhaps it is deceptive," Allura admitted. "But we left the Galra with a choice. We are not responsible for their lack of caution."

"Yeah." I could tell Allura wasn't totally comfortable with this either. "Still, if we, uh, think we know what they are going to do… it really isn't that much different than hiding a bomb…"

Keith looked back at me. "Did they mess with your head? These are Galra officers, not innocent bystanders."

"Trust me, I know," I said, glancing down at the bandages on my arm and leg. "They are some of the worst people in the universe, and I know they want to kill me." I took a deep breath. "It's just that, well, this one time they said they'd let us go and they did. And we sort of set a trap for them. So for, like, this one time, they kind of were more honest than we were. And that feel strange."

"They were honest because it served their interests," Keith told me. "Don't let yourself think it's because of honor or respect."

I wasn't sure what to think. Thuk did seem like he was being honest, but he'd had something to gain by letting us go. And Morvok might of just been afraid of trying to take us on. "I guess I just thought we'd always be better than them, no matter what the reason."

"I don't like it either," the Princess said. "But sometimes we need to do things that make us uncomfortable in order to protect those that depend on us."

"I understand," I said. And I did. You had to be willing to risk stuff in a fight like the one we were in. That's like just a fact of war. But they don't tell you that you'll be risking stuff like being able to sleep well at night because of things you did. Things that needed to be done, things for the greater good, but things that will bother you for a very long time. Maybe forever.

"But when does it go too far?" I asked. "How do we know what's ok and what isn't?"

To my surprise, Allura actually smiled a bit. "That you care so deeply about that question shows me you'll find the answer when the time comes."

* * *

A/N: Sometimes the right thing is complicated, even if you're on the right side…

As always, thank you for taking the time to read. Reviews, faves, and follows mean the world!


	36. But the Truth Is I Can't Open Up

**But the Truth Is I Can't Open Up**

I spent the next varga or so in one of the sleeping berths, eyes closed but totally awake. I hadn't really wanted to leave the cockpit, but Allura insisted that I needed to get some rest. I was completely exhausted, but I was also too wound up to take a nap. So instead I just lay there, wondering about stuff.

To be honest, I really wasn't sure how I felt. I couldn't help but think about how Thuk had pretty much let us go because he trusted me to pay him back somehow. I suppose he didn't know if he'd ever be able to call in that favor. The universe is a pretty unpredictable place, and even if the opportunity came up I might just say no. But I'm pretty sure us secretly blowing him up hadn't figured into his choice.

I guess in some screwed up way I'd come to respect Thuk. At least I hadn't made any jokes about what his name sounded like. On the other hand, the dude was basically loyal to evil, and there was no real getting around that. It meant that if we ever met again, he was probably just as likely to try and kill me as anything else.

Of course, it might be a good thing if Thuk wasn't around anymore. The idea that I owed him something bugged me. Obviously I wouldn't do anything to hurt my team, and he knew that. But what if he tried to play me? What if he asked for some harmless little favor that somehow took down Voltron? If he died on the _Cestova_ , I'd never need to worry about that.

There's only so long that you can lay in a bed and not sleep, so eventually I went back to the cockpit. Keith was alone when I arrived, which wasn't a bad thing. Allura probably would of tried to talk me into trying to rest some more.

Keith glanced back at me. "I didn't expect you so soon."

I shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

Keith's eyes flicked down then back to me. "I know how that feels."

"Yeah," I said quietly as I sat down in the copilot seat.

"We're headed back to Vostoth," Keith told me. "We'll call the Castle once we're clear of the nebula and set up a rendezvous there. They can get to us faster than we can get to them."

"Corran and Shiro are probably pretty upset right now," I said. I was not really looking forward to that conversation.

"I think more worried than upset," Keith said. "Thrust me, Shiro's not the type to hold onto a mistake."

"Maybe." I let out a short sigh. "It's a pretty big mistake. I know I put us in danger. More than once. It isn't something I'm going to just get over."

Keith continued to look straight ahead but nodded.

"I get the whole all's well that ends well mantra, but what if it hadn't worked out?" I asked. "What if Allura had been captured? What if I'd given up secrets? What if we'd died on that ice asteroid?"

"It did, she wasn't, and you didn't," Keith said. "Things go wrong. You make bad calls. It happens."

"Yeah, but… this wasn't even just about us. The whole fate of the Universe could have been changed."

"You have a pretty high opinion of yourself."

"Not me," I replied with some irritation. "Allura! Voltron!"

"I know that's what you were saying," Keith said. "My comment was unrelated."

I glanced over at Keith and frowned. "Yeah, cause when I'm dealing with all this it's the perfect time to make fun of me."

"Sometimes things happen for a reason," Keith said. "Sometimes you need to make some bad decisions to get where you belong. If you, Pidge, and Hunk hadn't been sneaking out of the Garrison when Shiro's ship crashed, we never would have met."

"Ok, first, there's a _galaxy_ of difference between that and this. And second," I added as I stared at him, "we'd met. _We were rivals._ "

"It isn't as different as you think," Keith said slowly. "You know I don't normally confide in you…"

"And I appreciate that."

"But in this case, it… was a good thing you showed up. The Blade didn't expect the Galra to mobilize so quickly, and things could have gone much worse if I'd had to face them alone."

"You're saying you needed me?"

"I'm saying you and Allura helped."

I smiled. "No, I heard _you_ needed _me_."

"And this is why I don't tell you these things."

"Because other people might actually, like, see how you feel?"

Keith turned to me. "And how is your charade so different?"

I was confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're a lot deeper than the vapid, superficial person you pretend to be."

"Not helping," I said.

"Let me put it this way: you pretend to be some kind of chill babe magnet-"

"I wouldn't say _pretend,"_ I interrupted.

"And then you agonize over the ethical implications of a plan."

"Do you have a point?"

Keith looked back out the front window. "I'm not going to pretend to understand you," he said. "But, maybe, we both have certain parts of us we don't want to share with everyone."

I took a deep breath. "Maybe," I said quietly. I guess I'd known what he was getting at, and he wasn't wrong. Still, it seemed pretty obvious Keith wasn't exactly the dude I wanted to discuss my thoughts and feelings with. But the more I thought about it, the less sure I was about that. After all, he _was_ sort of right. There was stuff neither of us really wanted to talk about: I hid my deeper thoughts under my personality, he just, well, hid them.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by the sound of Keith's console beeping. "What's that?" I asked.

"Energy burst," Keith said. "A big one."

With all the interference in the nebula, an energy burst would need to be huge for our sensors to pick it up. Which meant… "The _Cestova_?"

"Probably," Keith agreed.

"So that's… it," I said kind of softly. It was a good thing, really. If the _Cestova_ had fallen into Galra hands who knows what they could've done with it.

Keith frowned slightly. "None of them were your friends," he said, "no matter what you think they did for you."

"I know." He was right, and I knew it. Still, I couldn't help but think of my conversation with Allura. "But there may come a time when we need one of them to trust us, and we kind of—"

"They'll never trust us," Keith interrupted. "That isn't how the Galra Empire works."

"But the Empire won't always be there," I replied. "The people will be. When this war ends the universe will be a different place, and that means we'll need people who can be open to working together."

"And you think Thuk was one of those people?" To my surprise it was an honest question; I'd kind of been expecting sarcasm.

"I don't know. Maybe. Probably more than most Galra."

"Maybe he still will be," Keith said. "Morvok was all about getting credit for his discovery; I'm sure he wanted to bring the _Cestova_ home himself. It would make sense that the second ranking officer would take command of the salvage ship."

"You think?" I felt a little hopeful, which kind of made me a little upset. I shouldn't be getting that excited that an enemy might still be alive. It wasn't the kind of toughness I needed to make it through this war. Still, I couldn't help it.

Keith shrugged. "We'll probably never know. But I'm sure Morvok was onboard. The only way we're ever seeing that guy again is in some strange dream."

* * *

A/N:

There were a few scenes in S8 where Lance and Keith really seemed to gel in a way we hadn't seen before; I thought this was a great opportunity to show the formative part of that relationship.

As always thank you for your support! View, follows, faves, and especially reviews are sincerely and truly appreciated!


	37. What Desire Will Make Foolish People Do

**What Desire Will Make Foolish People Do**

"The important thing is the _Cestova_ did not end up in Galra hands," Allura said firmly.

We'd attempted to contact he Castle as soon as we were clear of the Necrosis Nebula. After a few tries we managed to get a comm channel through to Coran and Shiro. They were pretty relieved to hear from us. Shiro hid it well, but I could tell he had been worried. Coran, on the other hand, didn't really hide anything. He didn't like Allura taking risks, and he wasn't happy with any of us that we engaged the Galra without any possibility of support from the rest of the team.

"Had something happened, you would have been at the mercy of the Galra," Coran said sourly. "By the time we found out what occurred, it may have been too late to plan a rescue mission."

"You should have contacted us first," Shiro added. "Even if you didn't think you needed us."

"It, uh, wasn't exactly a choice," I said quietly, feeling my cheeks get hot and my chest get tight. We'd avoided how this whole mess had started for a while, but I'd known it was coming.

"What do you mean it wasn't a choice?" Coran demanded.

I opened my mouth but the Princess spoke first. "We were late leaving Vostoth," she explained. "In order to make the planned rendezvous we needed to take a shortcut."

"Through the Necrosis Nebula," Coran said. "That's… just… inexcusable." The Altean's eyes shifted to me. "It was _your_ idea, wasn't it?"

"Sort of… well, completely," I admitted. "I just thought that-"

"I agreed with Lance's assessment," Allura interjected. "He is a skilled pilot, and if we hadn't encountered the torpedo-mine, he would have safely navigated the nebula."

"A torpedo mine!" Coran hissed. "What were you doing approaching something so dangerous?"

"Hey, it approached us!" I snapped.

"That's what happens when you fly through uncharted space! Ships have gone missing in the Nebula for tens of thousands of a deca-phebes." His eyes bored into me. "You took a tremendous risk with Allura's life," he said. "Do you know what could have happened?"

I felt cold, but was also starting to sweat. I felt sick, almost like I was going to puke. I really didn't know what to say.

"He also took a tremendous risk to protect us," Allura said before I could bring myself to reply.

"I don't doubt his courage," Coran said, "But brave deeds alone don't keep people safe. And they certainly don't win wars."

Shiro put his hand on Coran's shoulder. "Fortunately, it was not nearly as bad as it could have been." He pressed his lips together for a tick. "Overall, it was a pretty good outcome. You did some good work." His eyes flicked to each of us. "All of you."

I felt the tension in my chest let up just a bit.

"We are setting course for Vostoth now," Coran said in a tone that made it clear, good outcome or not, he wasn't happy. "It should take us about twenty vargas to get there."

"When we do," Shiro added, "I'm thinking we might stay for a quintent or two. It's been a while since any of us had any real R and R. Vostoth sounds like as good of place as any to fix that."

That was the first good news I'd heard in a while. After all of this, I could use a couple days to relax. I glanced down at my wounded leg. Hopefully I wouldn't be spending it all in healing pod.

"An excellent idea," Allura agreed.

"We'll contact you when we enter orbit," Shiro said. "If you need anything else before then, you know how to reach us." A thin smile formed on his face. "And Lance... don't go taking any shortcuts."

The transmission clicked off and I exhaled.

"Well, Coran isn't happy," Keith said quietly.

I frowned at him. "Someone with half a brain could've figured _that_ out."

"So you're saying you figured it out?"

"Corran sees protecting me as his duty," Allura reminded us. She put a hand on my shoulder. "He might sound upset with you, but he's truly upset with himself."

"What does he have to upset with himself about?" I asked. It wasn't like he'd done anything wrong.

"Nothing, truly. But he'll blame himself for letting us get into the situation we did, and not having a backup plan."

I shook my head. "But none of that—that's not his fault."

The Princes gently squeezed my shoulder. "People who truly care tend to feel guilty about things that are not their own fault," Allura said quietly.

"Yeah," I said quietly, turning to stare out the windshield. I got what she was trying to say, but I wasn't really buying it. Regretting you didn't do something more is a lot different than regretting you did something dumb. But, at least, I appreciated that she cared enough to try and make me feel better about my own mistakes.

Keith stood up. "I need to contact Kolivan," he announced. "I'll use the comm in the aft compartment; this may take a while."

I looked at him and accidentally frowned a bit. "You're not… I mean, I just thought that maybe you'd be coming back with us?" Not that, like, I really wanted him to come back. Well, maybe a little. Not like a ton though.

To my surprise, Keith's lips twitched like I'd said something that bothered him. "This is war," he said quietly. "I need to be where I can do the most good," he continued more loudly. "The team is fine without me. The Black Lion has accepted Shiro again, and Red… seems to be tolerating you."

I leaned back in the chair and smirked. "Red's pretty happy with the upgrade."

"I'm sure," Keith said skeptically. He took a deep breath. "Kolivan won't be happy that he needs to send someone to pick me up… or much else about this mission actually."

"It's not like you could've saved the _Cestova,_ " I told him. "Even if you hadn't run into us _or_ the Galra, the ship would've been impossible to move… and probably exploded."

Keith shook his head. "Kolivan cares about results, not excuses."

"Galra are notoriously ill-tempered," Allura remarked. "Present company excluded, of course," she added quickly."

I looked over at her and smirked. "Present comp—do you even know Keith? He's, like, the definition of ill-tempered."

"And suddenly talking to Kolivan doesn't seem that bad," Keith added as he walked towards the rear of the cockpit. "Thanks for that."

I leaned back a little. "I do what I can."

* * *

A/N: I know this is pretty short and very long overdue! I apologize for that. Hopefully you all still enjoyed, and as always, thank you for your support!


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